Lucia Taylor
Lonely But Not Alone, Alone But Not Lonely.
BPD Representation in the Media.
“There is something overwhelmingly lonely about suffering from a condition that is so misunderstood, so feared and so shrouded in stigma that you could go your whole life without seeing it depicted accurately on TV.”
My project concerns borderline personality disorder and its representation, reputation, and stigma in the cinema and public eye. When it comes to seeing ourselves in the media, those of us with BPD are faced with a plethora of unfair portrayals reducing us to a tired set of tropes. We are most often represented as cold, narcissistic, abusive and sexually deviant or as ‘manic pixie dream girls,’ relegated to the roles of crazy ex or quirky side character.
My ‘unfinished’ paintings reflect on misinformed and stigmatising representation. I aim to diffuse the demonising light that those with BPD are typically shrouded in. My subjects, all exhibiting the traits in the diagnostic criteria for BPD, are full, multi-faceted people, loved and loving, who have so much to share.
Lonely but not Alone, Alone but not Lonely
“There is something overwhelmingly lonely about suffering from a condition that is so misunderstood, so feared and so shrouded in stigma that you could go your whole life without seeing it depicted accurately on TV.”
My project concerns borderline personality disorder and its representation, reputation, and stigma in the cinema and public eye. When it comes to seeing ourselves in the media, those of us with BPD are faced with a plethora of unfair portrayals reducing us to a tired set of tropes. We are most often represented as cold, narcissistic, abusive and sexually deviant or as ‘manic pixie dream girls,’ relegated to the roles of crazy ex or quirky side character.
My ‘unfinished’ paintings reflect on misinformed and stigmatising representation. I aim to diffuse the demonising light that those with BPD are typically shrouded in. My subjects, all exhibiting the traits in the diagnostic criteria for BPD, are full, multi-faceted people, loved and loving, who have so much to share.
1 ‘MHAM: ‘Maniac,’ (2019) Presents a Down-to-Earth Depiction of Borderline Personality Disorder in an Otherwise Outlandish World,’ Laura Holiday.
2 A female character in film and literature, depicted as a cute, quirky free spirit, who is used solely to be the love interest of and further the personal growth of the (often disillusioned or depressed) male protagonist, rather than being a fully realised character.
3 Both fictional characters and real public figures.
