Comic artist Liv Strömquist: Why we want what others want

Why do we desire what others desire? What does our appearance have to do with our prospects of being loved? To what extent are sexuality and consumer societyconnected with each other? Why do men find short hair beautiful in themselves? What’s the only reason to be in a relationship these days? Why are our ideas so standardized by beauty?Why is in Christianity to find oneself beautiful is linked to a sin? And why are Kim Kardashians Selfies progressive?

The answers to this and many more ask gives the Swedish comicDraftswoman Liv Strömquist in her new book “Im Spiegelsaal”. According to their bestsellers “The origin of the world ” and “I’m every woman”, the 43-year-old is dedicated to the topic of beauty. Divided into five essays she approaches the topic scientific, socio-historicalandhumorous in typical StrömquistManner. With references from the Bible to the Kardashian-Jenner-Clan, she offers her readers a potpourri of perspectives to show what our perception of beauty is based on.

Your new comic “In the hall of mirrors” is dedicated to the topic of beauty. As sees yourrelationship to der topictik the end?
people to have a very close relationship with their appearance. I think about a lotbeauty after, even more todayr than before. For one I am 43 years old. One has mixed Feelingswhen your appearance changes and you no longer look so youthful. On the other hand, I have noticed, that Ithrough the digitalization and the pandemic spend much of my day scrolling Instagram. I.ch have that feelingthat our focus on faces has increased.For example have I talked to a girl while corona via FaceTime dated Has. S.ie found itvery strange, during a date all the time that own reflection to see. There were times there you don’t have all the time of his own face thought, wduring you were talking to someone.

In “In the Hall of Mirrors” you explain socio-historically and scientifically why we desire what others desire, how our current ideals of beauty came about and what appearance has to do with the prospect of being loved. How has research changed your personal perspective on beauty?
For me, beauty comes from within. That’s a total cliché, I know, but I really believe it is. It is not something that can be optimized, but often happens in uncontrolled moments. Maybe that’s something I do through research even more internalized have.

One of the chapters is different from the others: No studies, theories and science, but only five women between 50 and 70 who tell how they experience getting older. Who are you?
They are women I know or they are friends of friends. It was really nice to talk to them and hear their view of life. For me, my whole life is full of challenges, insecurities and fears. There is a lot of talk about young women who feel bad about Instagram, for example. But when I spoke to my older interlocutors, some of them said that they feel very insecure about getting older, and some said the opposite. So I think the experience is very individual. Some of them, already very beautiful at a young age, felt that the reason for belonging to different groups – their appearance – was no longer there. They were used to being welcome everywhere. But now all of a sudden they didn’t feel that way anymore, which led to a very, very, very big personal crisis and a sense of loss and grief. We do not openly address such feelings in society because it is taboo to be so vain.

You write that the only reason Therefore, from the we are in relationships these days, love and sexual attraction.E.ine quite steep thesis. Can you please explain them in more detail?
If you look at it historically, there used to be no free market for love and sex. There were by family and relatives arranged marriages. There were others reasonsto be with someone such as economic reasons or that man dependent on someone wasthat you could raise your children with. But now, where women work and have their own income, there are no longer so many practical reasons to live with someone – except for one reason, maybe the only one: I mean love, of course. However Hat dhe wooing love and sexual attractionhelped make it more Stress and pressurebecause of his own Appearances gives. Theres feeling of being interchangeable leads to thatone in a way constant in a Competition to other people stands. Of the Thought that a person’s worth is very much related to their appearance, does not let go of you even if you are not interested in a relationship or you are very sure about your relationship.

In German there is a phrase, die says that someone better is waiting for us around the next cornert. So, wenn we get involved with a person and settle down we could have one better ones Lotmiss. W.anyway, believeen you, this one has thoughts manifested so strongly?
I think that has to do with a very central value: In the modern age it’s always about optimizing everything. M.looks at even Love as an achievement or a project: The search for the perfectn person. E.It’s difficult to feel love when you have this kind of perspective on other people.

Do you think that will change in the next few years?
Hopefully. Maybe after my book. (laughs)

Do you have the feeling, that it nowadays im Age of Instagram, Filters and editing apps one more thing certain Diversity in thingn beauty there? Or is it thatwe all the same way look would like ton?
There is though some movements on Instagram that want to include more different body types, ages or races. Nnonethelesscan we quite see clearly, that everything looks very much the same because we now have this globalized media society in which All photographed and shared will. If you can’t see it in people’s faces or bodies, it can be seen in of their Interior decoration. I kenneno other epoch, in the diewhole world so much the samen things coveted. Yes, the big trend is that everything looks more and more the same. I think, that has also with filters as plastic surgery to do, so that the people the same mouth, the same nose or have the same cup size. E.there are certain standards that she try to achieve whereby they always mehr look the same.

What would you like to see more often on Instagram?
Instagram is a platform whose aim is to sell advertising. The way you can react to something is very limited: You can like or not like– the it was. Everything there is there to make people an the screen staple and always scroll further.With everything you can posts, you want it someone pleases. It got to likeablebebecause you otherwise no followers Has. All the dark, unattractive Traits of humanity will be on Instagram avoided.

How willIn your opinion afteroure Idea of ​​beauty future change?
If it is allowed to dream and be very optimistic, then are The people this berestricted Kind of with other people medial in Contact to kick weary. Maybe it will bea boom after the pandemic therethere giveto maintain contacts in real life as the individual To appreciate differences and the beauty inside. Let’s say that’s very optimistic.

“Im Spiegelsaal” was published by avant-verlag in October 2021.