You know, it's hard out there for a woman. Dealing with relationships, career and body image issues is no walk in the park. However, one new animated short shows that it kind of is.
Sidewalk is an animated short that features a woman literally walking through life, from childhood to old age, all under four minutes. Though we see that the experience is a walk in the park in the literal sense, in the metaphorical sense, it is anything but.
The short film shows how women have a love-hate relationship with their bodies pretty much from the day they're old enough to walk down the street. A young girl mimics the pose of supermodels she sees on a billboard. When she's a 20-something, she encounters catcalls on the street every step she takes. Middle age and baby weight make her ashamed of her appearance.
Sidewalk from Celia Bullwinkel on Vimeo.
The film was created by New York-based animator Celia Bullwinkel. Her own run-in with catcalls initially sparked the idea for the film.
"I remember complaining to my mother over the phone about these interactions, and her response was, 'Enjoy it now; someday it will all go away, and you might miss it.' My initial reaction was 'NEVER!' but I came around to see some truth to her statement," Bullwinkel told The Huffington Post in an email.
With its playful animation style and jazzy score, Sidewalk seems like it could have fit right in with Disney's Fantasia 2000. It totally reminded us of the animated short accompanied by George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue."
Though the message of Sidewalk has a more serious tone than what you'd typically see in a Disney movie, it wouldn't be a bad idea at all for young girls around the world to see this short. The takeaway from Sidewalk is a very important one, that every woman goes through life loving herself one minute and feeling like crap about herself the next.
Maybe this will help young girls feel less alienated as they go through life, knowing that they're not alone in having these thoughts and emotions. Or perhaps they will even be inspired to fight back against the unfortunate, cyclical nature of women's self-image.
