When I first thought of the word consumption, I thought of the actual act of consuming something. I was on the topic of eating and hunger and this is when I thought of a topic that needed to be brought to light: the famine happening in Yemen. Not many people know what is happening there so I wanted to bring awareness to it. Since the civil war has started, there have been over 2 million cases there, just in children alone of severe and fatal malnourishment. Over 17 million people don’t know when their next meal will be or where they will get it from. There is also an outbreak of cholera that is making the situation even more dire for the already struggling families.   

 

I felt that this was a topic that I wanted to bring awareness to. But, it would be hard to depict the severity of the malnourishment being experienced in Yemen in a realistic way. So, I decided to take a more ironic approach. I decided to depict a first-world teen who is not content with the meal in front of her. I chose this to show the unappreciation of people today for the opportunities and resources they are given. People in this country get so caught up in our every day lives and so focused on the things they don’t have, that they never take a step back and express gratitude towards the things they are fortunate enough to have. So, this idea goes deeper than just the idea of a girl not eating her dinner. It’s more about her lifestyle and how she takes certain things for granted that others dream about. She is so engrossed in her phone that she isn't paying attention to the meal that is right in front of her, when there are people all over the world who haven't eaten in days. The newspapers represent the struggles around the world that she is turning her back to.