18 Illustrations Defying Society’s Standards For Women

Bored Panda reached out to Cécile, who began by telling us more about herself: “I've been a graphic designer and art director before starting my illustrator career. I'm based in France.”

Cécile shared what initially inspired her to create illustrations that show women as they truly are, without conforming to societal standards.

“I started my first illustrations in 2016 when we were seeing less body diversity than now in the media. It was important for me to show that all kinds of bodies existed and to show that we can be more open about our physical appearance,” wrote the artist.

Cécile shared how society has changed its view towards women since she started creating illustrations.

“I think we see more diversity in media now, even if it feels more like a marketing technique, I think it's still important that it's done. And I love to see people of all kinds on social media, there is not just one model and that's great. At the same time, young people never used so much plastic surgery, so it feels like there are still a lot of ways to make people understand that beauty can come in very different forms. I'm not necessarily against surgery, it can be helpful in some cases. But I think the way face filters create hang-ups and push young people to have a very specific physique is tragic.”

To stay motivated in creating art that challenges norms and celebrates imperfections, Cécile stated that there are more subjects she would like to touch on that keep her creatively charged.

“I think there are still a lot of things to say about bodies, I want to start a men's series very soon. But I draw on other topics from time to time too.”

Cécile shared her hopes on how her illustrations can contribute to positive change.

“I just hope to make people laugh about their insecurities as I think laughing is a powerful way to take power back on yourself and don't take yourself too seriously. And at the same time, I hope to bring some empathy and kindness and remind them that all bodies need to be respected.”

The artist previously mentioned working on a children's book and illustrations about couples. We were curious to learn what Cécile hopes kids and couples take away from her work.

“I did a video some time ago about couples as it's funny to see a lot of things are asked in heterosexual couples, like the man has to be taller, etc. I wanted to play with these codes. The children's book I made some time ago was not about bodies but about a spider yoga class, it's about friendship and not giving up!”

And lastly, Cécile added: “Follow me on Instagram and TikTok."

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