..I did this for a story about the anorexic sub-culture.
... There was an idea being tossed around by the editors for an illustration that depicted a skeletal woman looking into a mirror and seeing a beautiful woman, but somebody found a photo illustration on the web that was almost exactly what they were talking about. It was decided that we go in a different direction.
... I liked the idea of a woman going from beautiful to scrawny, but it wasn't quite scary enough for me. I don't know much about Betty Grable but I've seen that pin-up over and over again throughout my life. It must have been quite the big deal at the time and it seems to have found a place itself in the collective experience of our culture. When I thought about a symbol I could use to represent "beautiful woman" it popped into my head.
... I received a lot of responses for this drawing, many more than any other work I've done for the paper. I'm happy with it.
