You’re probably thinking it’s a harmless doodle, scribbled on the back of a slightly moist coaster following a night on the town. You only drew it because you received complimentary crayons with the appetizers. You didn’t mean anything by it, you’re not an artist. It was to make a point, or to the pass the time. But stick figures are an abomination. Outlines are by definition incomplete, a sign of hopefully better things to come. Not here. With stick figures, there is no improvement, only acceptance of mediocrity and fantasy.
Not only do they promote unrealistic body standards, but they also teach children that perspective means nothing. That all the learning our species has achieved since the Dark Ages is of little consequence on this bar stool. What would Vermeer say? Rembrandt? I’m just glad they aren’t around to see it.
What am I even looking at? Stick figures are barely sticks and hardly figures. There’s no anatomy to speak of. They aren’t rugged tree people, covered in bark and leaves, susceptible to weather, changing with the seasons.
So the next time you consider making a stick figure, consider giving them an identity. Who is this noseless, hairless, shoeless idiot dancing across your cocktail napkin anyway? Only you can answer that question. And how ‘bout giving them a few more lbs? It's not like they're going to weigh down the paper.
No comments:
Post a Comment