Misfit[s]
Grappling With Love In Today's Hook-Up Culture
misfit noun
mis-fit | I 'mis- fit also mis-'fit \
Definition of misfit
something that fits badly.
a person who is poorly adapted to a situation or environment
In an age where one can download several apps and meet with thousands of locals for casual hookups, one must ask, is there still room for love? At the same time, writers are scrambling to figure out why there's a "Millennial sex recession" or lack of sex going on and that is tied to my generation's difficulties staying in long-term relationships/getting married.
As I and many other milienniais hit our thirties, and the pressures of time kick in, I wondered if my long-term single status was normal, or something more specific to me, my lifestyle, appearance or inherent character.
For my project Misfit[s], I examine my experiences and questions about body image, hook-up culture and isolation in an age of connection. This was done by using dozens of screenshots I took of (idealized) men's dating profiles and projecting them onto myself within my living space and photographing the resulting imagery. While these images include stereotypes/cliches commonly encountered, the overall juxtaposition shows how fitting the status quo's ideals is nearly impossible and how such ideals affect the universal desire to be found worthy of love and desire.
Is there room for people like me who aren't idealized or "perfect” in spaces for modern love? Can our approaches of how we think about and treat each other be improved?
This comparative visual study of created images revealed to me that perhaps shallowness limits one's love interests and shapes one's experiences. Beyond that, my own insecurities and projections isolated me. By expanding my limits and looking past the visual, I become the solution to these issues.