Fiona Gallagher and her alter egos.
Who is our “MUSE”
Reflection
Who is our MUSE?
We decided on the character Fiona Gallagher from the show Shameless as our muse, we chose Fiona because of her inspirational and multifaceted qualities as a character that can be observed in the show. She is an older sister to her five siblings acting as their mother figure since she was sixteen as their actual mother was absent and their father unreliable. In shameless, she shows the many sides to herself, we see her as a selfless protector of the ones she loves, a hard worker, a hopeless romantic, and a fun loving best friend. All of these qualities about her and roles she takes on in her life make up one person. Unlike conventional muses who are often idealized, Fiona is defined by struggle and perseverance. She represents a different kind of beauty—one shaped by hardship and survival. She challenges the romanticized notion of the muse by being deeply flawed, strong, and vulnerable at the same time. In the drama, Fiona has to take care of everyone in her big family while balancing herself. I think she is a character that exists outside of conventional power structures and gender roles, by taking on the role of both mother and father, leader and caregiver. Moreover, unlike traditional media representations of muse as glorified and leading, Fiona also embodies self-sufficiency and sacrifice. In the drama, Fiona’s wardrobe is practical, mostly consist of worn-out clothes, tank tops and jeans, which value functionality more than fashion, reflecting financial hardship and a rejection of high-fashion ideals.
What I’m curious about?
What goes on in her brain whenever she makes a decision, watching the show, sometimes it’s easy to get frustrated with the decisions she makes and the path that decision leads her down.
The way in which Fiona maneuvers through life, experiencing the extremes of both pain and love, but still managing to push forward is incredibly inspiring to those who have witnessed her character in the show making her a muse to many.
How are we going to curate the research?
We use clean, structured slides for research and messier, more layered slides for emotional/visual storytelling, mimicking the contrast between societal ideals vs. Fiona’s reality. Also, the visual representation of Fiona’s Hinge profile shows her multifaceted qualities, while at the same time illustrating her chaotic life experiences and rebellion characteristics. In terms of the writing research, we are going to use google shared doc and ISSUE to present.
