Inspiration and Meaning

 Inspiration

"Minds are like flowers; They open when the time is right." -Stephen Richards

I thought I'd take this post to share the true inspiration and meaning behind our film.

We all have our battles and internal struggles we have to endure and learn to conquer, but sometimes winning the battle is hard. It's draining trying to win an unwavering battle and it's exhausting trying to imagine life outside of this internal war whether it may be fighting against depression or the pressures of society.  Through the mist of the war, people still have to keep up with and show strength in their daily lives, but sometimes strength is showing others you are vulnerable and struggling. This is a lesson Rachel, the main character of the film, has yet to learn. 

When trying to figure out the direction we wanted to take our film opening, Desiree, immediately suggested filming something related to struggling with an eating disorder as this topic was very relevant to society and to us all as teenage girls. I suggested that we take a larger scope to the issue and focus on the struggles that people, in this case, teenage girls, deal with as they try to hide their struggling from the rest of the world at their own expense. Rachel is struggling emotionally and mentally but her desire to obtain appearances as perfect outways her desperation and need for help and support, at least in her eyes. 

Rachel is experiencing pain, anxiety, mental hardships, and all the other struggles and traumas of her life, and on top of trying to not only suppress her emotions, she is alslo trying to pretend to be perfect. She puts on a smile and the smile acts as a mask and a cover to her pain and suffering. With societal pressures and even the pressures of being a teenager, girls in particular, feel the need to hide their feelings and struggles, but this shouldn't be the case. Girls should be given the room and freedom to express their feelings without consequences and should be supported and helped in moments of vulnerability. Not just girls, but boys, parents, adults, kids, everyone. Hiding behind a smile is dangerous, but is something people in society have made a habit of.  A person using a smile to cover up their pain is the person the most in need of help. 

I wanted to film this opening in order to bring awareness to the idea that many people are struggling to survive and those same people may seemingly be the happiest and most perfect in a crowd of people. I hope this film acts as a reminder to others to check on their friends, families, and others because a simple expression of kindness and portrayal of care can change someone's life.

This filming project gave my group and me the opportunity to shed light on all the girls in the dark hiding behind the smile and to tell them that it is okay to cry and it is okay to get the help you need. To the girls struggling: give yourself the freedom to allow yourself to heal properly and to handle your problems without fear of judgment or consequences. Our project was our flower and the time was right to let it bloom and instill a message to viewers.