Some THIN About Me: a Graphic Novel About a Chinese Girl Suffering from Eating Disorder

Date
2018
Authors
He, Jiayu
Supervisor
Harris, Miriam
Item type
Research Project
Degree name
Master of Design
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Auckland University of Technology
Abstract

Some THIN About Me is a graphic novel dominated by memories and self-discovery. It consists of 50 pages of illustrations, photos and collages. This artwork focuses on the combination of text, images and physical materials to present an autobiographical story. This exegesis will explore the narrative of my personal eating disorder experience, and why I consider the graphic novel as a medium to illustrate my story. The purpose of this graphic novel is to show readers how I suffer from an eating disorder because of my experiences of childhood trauma and the discrimination about body shape endured by Chinese women. In particular, I have compared the changes I have had towards my eating disorder problem in the New Zealand environment compared to those I had in the Chinese environment. This graphic novel has allowed me to find a way to let my family know of my issues and to help me towards my recovery from my situation. This narrative is highly dependent on some of my personal experiences, growing up in China and studying in New Zealand. During this journey, I have successfully begun to face my anorexic problem. Specifically, the essence of my graphic novel can be understood as how my childhood experiences have made an impression on me physically and emotionally.

Description
Keywords
Graphic novel , Eating disorder , Self-narrative , Chinese background
Source
DOI
Publisher's version
Rights statement