Hello, my name is Naomi and I live at the very bottom of England in Cornwall. I live in a very small seaside town surrounded by three miles of golden sand. I went to my local university and studied for my bachelor of arts in media. Last year I started to volunteer at the Hayle Heritage Centre, where I help catalogue photos. Recently I have had illustrations used on exhibition boards at the centre.
I have always had a love of history — my favourite eras in history would have to be Egyptian and Tudor. I have recently been very interested in the suffrage era. How the women involved made their voices heard and helped to gain the vote and increase women’s rights.
In my free time I usually find new films to watch as I enjoy watching and exploring narratives. I have always enjoyed film studies, it was my favourite topic of study at university. Exploring techniques used to make films along with symbolism has always fascinated me. I enjoy drawing and have a collection of art supplies scattered around my home. My favourite subject to draw would be Disney characters or Harley Quinn. I also collect pop vinyls of some of my favourite characters and have an extensive collection.
My dream job would be to either work for Disney or Pixar as a storyboard artist or illustrator. I have always loved the Disney art style and to be able to create a character that people would love would be amazing. If I couldn’t work for Disney I would like to become a film director, to create films which inspire young women. I would love to create a film about the suffrage movement or films with strong female characters. I would like to make them diverse with different body types and abilities.
Historic Castles are one of my favourite things to explore. My favourite is Pierrefonds castle in France which was the main castle in BBC’s Merlin. Though they are not quite museums they contain so much history and information. I have thought though long and hard about what my favourite museum is and I would say it is the Armistice in France. It is a museum I have visited every time we travel to France for a holiday. It celebrates the efforts of World War I and the signing of the armistice. The armistice was the agreement which stopped the fighting before the peace negotiations. The museum holds a replica of the carriage in which the armistice took place.
I believe girls today face a huge issue when it comes to body image and expectations. The rise of celebrity endorsements of diet pills and manipulated images projects the message that young women should look a certain way and if you do not then you should change. It heightens the risk of body dysmorphia, bulimia and anorexia in young women. I believe that women should be proud of their natural form and that all bodies are beautiful. Some celebrities are now fighting back at others who endorse these unhealthy products and it is a great step in the right direction. I hope that in the future we see women of more shapes and sizes on advertisements giving all girls confidence in themselves.
-Naomi Sheppard
Junior Girl
Girl Museum Inc.