Bloise's work, “Perceived Imperfections,” also was part of her senior capstone exhibition, which opened March 13 in the Esther Doyle Lobby of Halbritter Center. It explored body image and self-esteem through the lens of an eating disorder. Her capstone was relatable to all who have been exposed to media images of unobtainable bodies. Bloise is particularly interested in portraying the emotional experience of having a negative body image, saying, “I personally have not had an eating disorder, but I've struggled with self-esteem my whole life, so it's something I've thought about a lot.”
“Perceived Imperfections” depicts a young woman facing her own distorted image, which is a central theme of Bloise's work. She strives to bring attention to eating disorders, which are often brushed under the rug, saying, “I wanted to bring it to light. People wave it off like it's not serious.”
Bloise's work approaches the topic in an innovative way. Bloise explains, “The abstracted form is how she sees herself,” making it apparent to the viewer how powerful a negative self-image can be. The scale of her work is important, too. Bloise chose to create life-sized figures, saying, “I thought it would be more impactful if I had these full-bodied figures to reflect that feeling.”
Art has been an important means of expression through Bloise's life. She recalls, “I've been drawing since I was really young. All through high school I did studio art—every class I could possibly take.” She found her love of ceramics at Juniata, saying “I was going to be more drawing-focused but there were more opportunities in the ceramics studio, and I'm glad I ended up there. It's a good outlet for me.”
As for the future, Bloise hopes to change the way the media portrays young women. “The media and ads create the mindset of ‘I need to look perfect.' It would be interesting to be a part of that marketing and see how I can change it,” Boise contends. With an open dialogue about the emotional impact of body image, Bloise aims to make the media a more inclusive and positive space.
