There is a quote – a piece of art, really – that I found on the internet as a teenager, which I now think about almost every day: ‘In a world that profits on your self-doubt, liking yourself is a rebellious act.’ These words were graffitied over the top of a poster advert by artist Caroline Caldwell, and then photographed and shared by thousands of people online.
Even at the age of fourteen, this struck me as an incredibly important quote for teenagers specifically. I immediately copied the words onto a piece of paper, ad sellotaped it to my bedroom mirror. On particularly bad days, I would move the paper to cover the reflection of my face, craving words to block out images.
The influence that adverts have on our brains has been extensively studied(https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/ulterior-motives/201008/what-does-advertising-do) and written about. It isn’t even slightly a secret that perpetuating feelings of inadequacy is a literal marketing strategy. (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1784700436/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1) And, as a teenager, it is vital to understand that brains don’t create insecurities on theirown.
The problem is that adverts have become an almost intrinsic part of how our generation consume culture. And culture is a necessity – let’s be clear – especially in the years when all you want is to grow up and be a better, newer version of yourself. And so, adverts are unavoidable for the youth (arguably the most susceptible to the calculated strategies). The relentlessness of media slogans and advertising pressures is overwhelming.
The reason Caldwell’s quote in particular is so clever, is how it reframes self-love. By labelling an often bland-coloured ideal a ‘rebellion’, Caldwell makes self-satisfaction seem bold and brave. In the same line of thought, in ‘Against Self-Criticism’, Adam Philips describes the self-critical voice in our heads as boring and narrow-minded.
This may seems obvious, but the idea of dismissing my insecurities as boring was, for me, revolutionary. Because teenagers reject the boring – it is after all the reason we act-out in the suburbs and ignore our parents’ advice. And painting self-love as rebellion is one of the most empowering ideas you could give to a young person. We breathe rebellion.
Of course, this makes graffiti over adverts even more apt. The artist Banksy writes ‘asking for permission [to graffiti over adverts] is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head’ – because you do not choose to see most adverts.They arrive in your mind before your brain could ever block them. And graffiti is the only tangible way of fighting back.
Ultimately, however, a physical attack isn’t what’s important. Learning to dissect adverts, reducing them to their intentions and manipulations, and loving yourself despite of their messages, is what really matters. This is a totally silent, completely invisible form of rebellion, - and it is maybe also the most masterful.
By Cara Stray
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