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34x25x36: Body Image from Various Perspectives

Published on June 17, 2008

By Kathryn Robertson

Jesse Epstein

Jesse Epstein's film-making budget back in 2007 was as slim as the models being airbrushed in the first documentary in her series about body image. Now she plans to expand the 11-minute film, which is called Wet Dreams and False Images, into a one-hour documentary thanks to a grant from the Chicken and Egg Fund. She plans to combine the extended version with her other short documentaries The Guarantee and 34x25x36, as well as one she is working on about teenage girls and skin tone to create a broadcast-news style documentary that can be used in universities.

All the films give an in-depth look at media and body from a variety of perspectives. Wet Dreams and False Images captures a barbers' sense of outrage that all the perfect female images he loves have been retouched. The Guarantee is a true story, narrated by its protagonist, about a boy whose ballet teacher convinced him to get a nose job, while 34x25x36 shows the inner workings of a mannequin factory and the musings of the people who decide what they should look like.

Kathryn Robertson: Why did you want to make a series about body image?

Jesse Epstein: I knew I wanted to study film and maybe try to challenge other media messages. So much of what we're told in the media is about how people should look, and there's so much pressure put into certain ways of looking.

When I was growing up for two years I lived in Africa, and when I came to the U.S. I was a preteen, so I was really confused because in Africa there was a certain way for people to look. Women wanted to be big and strong, but here all my friends wanted to be skinny so it was very confusing.

How did you come up with the ideas for 34x25x36 and The Guarantee?

I knew I wanted to make a film about body image and airbrushing. I was teaching an all-girls video class in the Lower East Side, and I brought in some magazines and asked if they knew how much it takes to make those images look the way they do. They had no idea, so I just think it's important for people to know what they're taking in.

The main goal was I wanted to make a film about body image, not just about eating disorders. I think it's easy to just talk about extreme cases, but I think this [body image] affects everybody. I'm trying to figure out new ways of discussing these issues. I want to make a series of shorts that can be used by teachers in classrooms so they can start discussions. They're meant to just raise questions because I don't have the answers.

Well you must have some opinion.

The idea of perfection is very interesting. No one can be completely perfect, so why are we always surrounded by images of perfection? And I guess on some level, these things are unattainable but they keep us going. Ultimately we get something out of it, but I think it's still a problem when people think there's something wrong with them and there isn't.

Beyond eating disorders, what sort of damage do you think is done by these unreachable ideals?

I think body image issues affect a lot of other issues. It's the root of most things, like smoking and choices when people are having sex. Self-esteem is connected to a lot of choices we make.

Was it a coincidence that all of the opinions offered in the first three films are from men? What effect would you say that these doctored images have on men?

First I taught a class about teenage girls and then one about teenage boys, and I was thinking, "What would make teenage boys want to watch a film about female body issues?" I don't think it's enough to say we're going to empower teenage girls--you have to include everyone and change the expectations. I'm trying to twist the reality a little bit, and I think that by flipping it around you can look at the behavior more and ask why. I once filmed a gay man covering his acne with makeup, and it looks so different when you see a guy do it, but women do it every day. By flipping it around you can look at it more anthropologically. It definitely affects men too in a big way. The last one is going to be about teenage girls, but it's not about eating disorders. It's about skin color.

As some people in the films mentioned, the public seems to want these images of perfection that photo editors, mannequin factories, ballet school administrators, etc. are feeding it.

Well, the films are kind of all about media literacy in some respect. I don't think people are not going to look at magazines, but if they're affecting people in a negative way and they know what goes into creating these images, maybe they'll not put so much pressure on themselves. We do get something from it. It gives us something to strive for, but we should know that it's a fantasy. Not even the models look like that. I don't want to judge it because it's like hmm I make media, but I want people to make up their own mind about it. So the films are not just about body image, they're also about notions of perfection.

Was it hard getting access of to any of the spaces, like the mannequin factory or the men retouching the magazine images?

The only way that I met the barbers was because the second retoucher was a bit nervous about the interview and kept rescheduling– because he was meeting with clients and didn’t want me to film them. The DP and I were all ready with camera and sound gear one day and the retoucher called and cancelled, and I decided we just needed to film something. We walked out into the street and ran into Exile Ramirez, a producer friend. And, we started interviewing him. Then he said he had to get a haircut and I could come with him. So that’s how we met the barbers. The mannequin designer was a bit nervous at first, but it was funny, as soon as I mentioned Sundance, he said yes.

I also think part of why I've gotten a lot of access is because I'm not taking a "you're wrong" approach. I'm just asking why, and I think that's more useful.

I thought it was strange how the man from the mannequin factory was so critical of his own livelihood.

That's the thing about these films. If people are incriminated, they're incriminating themselves. It's not like I'm narrating. They're examining their own profession. I could have made a film that was all about using experts, but I did a lot of reading and thinking about philosophy and decided to use the characters who are involved in the issue instead of talking heads. That's why I like doing them short, because I put a lot of time and effort into each one. The question is how can you embed the message in something that seems like fiction because that's the only thing that can reach a mainstream audience.

Any special plans for the films?

I'm distributing the films through Newday Films which is a co-op that does only educational distribution. Right now I'm trying to figure out an outreach program that reaches teachers and universities. The series has been used by a lot of universities and high schools so far, and the Lower East Side Girls' Club.

And what has the response been?

They were like “this is screwed up man.” The best was a screening at the automotive high school because it was all boys and at first no one was saying anything. But then after they watched Wet Dreams and False Images one a kid walked in late with a magazine, and somebody just yelled "That's fake!" and it turned into a whole discussion. That's why Wet Dreams and False Images is all about JLo's booty--I thought maybe they'll listen if it's about booties.