A girl is raised to be charming. Magazines tell her how to look, feel, and behave, using clipped phrases that include: a ghastly weight; gloomy outlook; women; what causes sick nerves?; that body of yours; don’t be skinny; crash diet; which is your personalty? (sic); gloomy and pessimistic; be successful; bosom beauty; overactive emotions; nervous and mental breakdown; it is suicidal; make life worth living. She watches women trying to be beautiful, exhorting each other to be successful (attractive), experiencing frustration, and eventually losing their physical and emotional balance. After she learns that To Forget Yourself Is Charming, the girl is erased.
Elena Grossman is an artist and educator practicing visual art, graphic design, and programming for exhibition spaces, print, and screen media. Learn more about Elena
