An illustrated essay discussing notions of beauty and the photographic series “SURFACE”

What is Beauty?

Contents

Introduction: p2Inspiration: p3-4Photoshoot and Message: p5-8Details and Meaning: p9Conclusion: p10

List of Illustrations: p11List of References: p11Bibliography: p12-13

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Introduction

Beauty. It is hard to describe what beauty is. We are constantly saturated with images which form a view of how we should all look. This is controlled by social pressure and any deviation from this mould is not deemed to be acceptable. The beauty and cosmetic industries, and how it is represented in the media, have created a market which helps us to fit in with these “norms”. We have been convinced that we are all flawed and that there is no excuse not to look as society dictates. The extent to which people are influenced can be seen in the value of the UK beauty industry, which in 2011 was valued at 14,828 million pounds (Mintel. Beauty Retailing UK, 2012) The images we are exposed to are flawless and we are made to believe that “perfection”, whatever that is, is achievable. This has created a society which is quick to pick up on faults in appearance; we are “obsessively aware of what is unbeautiful” (Higgins in Beech 2009:35). Appearance and what others make of your appearance help to form who you are: your identity- a way of communicating with others about who you are without engaging in conversation. However, if you are not satisfied with your appearance, the beauty industry can provide a solution. It appears, by nature, humans are quick to judge each other and this is fuelled by the beauty market.

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Inspiration

Tasked with a brief that aims to discuss notions of beauty and define what beauty is through photography, finding one area to focus on was not the easiest of tasks. We began to look at how appearance is fundamental to modern society, and how people mask their face and body. A Pinterest board was set up to collect initial ideas on this matter, see figure 1, 2 and 3

On looking at the images collected it is interesting to note how obscuring the face alters appearance, and through altering appearance you can change who you are and how people react to you. It appears that covering the face blurs identity.

Figure 1. Coco Rocha, 2010. Craig McDean

Figure 2. Unknown Figure 3. Skin Tight, 2010. Bartholot

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One of the images that stood out and really interested us as a group, was that of Leigh Bowery, a performance artist in the 80’s, figure 4. He was not ‘interested in… mass appeal or to reflect conformity’ (Beech 2009:13) and is quoted as saying that he had a “perverse idea of beauty” (Beech 2009:13). “Bowery at-tracted notice because he looked completely different” (Beech 2009:14). “Leigh’s work… challenges the conventional view of what looks good” (Beech 2009:14) Bowery was over the top and controversial, hiding behind his masks and make up. His fragility and real character, or what we believe is a true representation of Bowery, is only really publically portrayed in Lucian Freud’s portraits, as seen in figure 5. Bowery, through the use of masks and disguise, was able to take on a different personas.

Figure 4. Leigh Bowery, 1993-4. Fergus Greer Figure 5. Leigh Bowery, 1991. Lucian Freud

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Photoshoot and Message

Through this initial research and looking at the morphing of identity through covering the face, the concept for our photoshoot was created. “SURFACE” is a series of six images; three stylised sets of images, made up of two different models. Each person was initially photographed with no change to their appearance in order to capture a natural image of them both. Their hair was held back off their face, minimal lighting and exposure was used and the shot was taken from a straight-on view. See figure 6 and 7.

Figure 6. SURFACE, 2012. Own photo Figure 7. SURFACE, 2012. Own photo

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Two further sets of images were taken. Lighting, hair and camera angle all remained the same, however, this time the faces of the two models are obscured by coverings which appear to alter and distort their features. The materials used were Clingfilm, figure 8 and 9, and tights, figure 10 and 11, inspired from the use of materials in the video for the song ‘Buttons’ by Sia, screen shots can be seen in figure 12.

Figure 8. SURFACE, 2012. Own photo Figure 9. SURFACE, 2012. Own photo

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The photographs which use Clingfilm and tights are a comment on how easy it is to change the look of the models look to such an extent that they could be different people. The models look uncomfortable, and this is reflected onto the viewer. The true identity of the boy and girl has been compromised, and society would potentially view them differently, whether they acted differently or not under their disguise. This photoshoot is a response to how the beauty industry, and its portrayal in the media, seeks to make improvements to the aesthetic qualities of individuals, but to the detriment to who they really are.

Figure 10. SURFACE, 2012. Own photo Figure 11. SURFACE, 2012. Own photo

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On creating and advertising products for an aspirational body image, depth and meaning showcasing the uniqueness and personality of the individuals incorporated is lost. The photograph’s play on the morphing of the norms of what society considers “beautiful”.

Figure 12. “Buttons”, 2007. Sia

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Details and Meanings

The photographs were named: SURFACE- “Sur” being the prefix conveying a meaning of being over something, in this instance, the face, and relates to what can be seen. The photographs are open for judgement and are ready for the subjective opinion of the audience.

We chose both a boy and a girl to show that social views and norms affect both genders. Neither the boy nor the girl escapes from the judgement of society. The models were chosen for the similarity of their skin colouring, eyes and hair. The models’ hair was deliberately kept off the face to avoid any part of the face from being hidden, and adding to any notion of obscuring identity. They were directed to give a blank stare with no sign of emotion so as not to give away any part of their personality- it is completely up to the viewer to decide what and who the models are.

The photographs remain largely unedited. There were some changes to the background colouring and cropping of the images to ensure that they remain consistent in style, so that none of the images stood out as being more important than each other. In the final editing of the photographs, a conscious decision was made to include the two natural shots to show to what extent the coverings had morphed the appearance of the models. If redoing the photoshoot, I would like to explore more materials and textures to distort the face. I would also ensure that the photos were taken with the exact framing and avoid moving the lighting on set to ease the editing process.

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Conclusion

Is there a definition of beauty? Surely “everybody’s sense of beauty is different from everybody else’s”? (Warhol in Beech 2009:174) Society has allowed itself to become manipulated by an industry that seeks to find flaws and faults that are so minor or do not exist at all- would we really care about appearance if we were not saturated with images of “perfection”? This is summed up by the following:

Beauty is… a kind of Trojan horse, capable of smuggling disruptive ideas and concerns into otherwise disinterested institutional spaces. (Hudson in Beech 2009:57)

The industry allows us to create a mask, hiding the real individual behind it. In our natural state we seem to be more vulnerable to the judgement of others. We have been told that the way we look naturally is not good enough, and there are products to “help” us. This photoshoot has looked at the issue of identity and how masking can change identity, and seeks to mock the “commercial” and popularised perception of beauty.

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List of Illustrations

Figure 1. Coco Rocha, 2010. Craig McDeanFigure 2. UnknownFigure 3. Skin Tight, 2010. BartholotFigure 4. Leigh Bowery, 1993-4. Fergus GreerFigure 5. Leigh Bowery, 1991. Lucian FreudFigure 6-11. SURFACE, 2012. Own photoFigure 12. “Buttons”, 2007. Sia

List of References

BEECH, D., 2009. P13. Beauty: Documents of Contemporary Art. London: Whitechapel Gallery.BEECH, D., 2009. P14. Beauty: Documents of Contemporary Art. London: Whitechapel Gallery.HIGGINS, K., 1996 in BEECH, D., 2009. P35. Beauty: Documents of Contemporary Art. London: Whitechapel Gallery.HUDSON, S., 2003 in BEECH, D., 2009. P57. Beauty: Documents of Contemporary Art. London: Whitechapel Gallery MINTEL, 2012. Beauty Retailing UK[online] Available via: Mintel [Accessed 23rd November 2012]WARHOL, A., 1975 in BEECH, D., 2009. P174. Beauty: Documents of Contemporary Art. London: Whitechapel Gallery.

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Bibliography

BOOKSBAYLEY, S., 2012. Ugly. London: Goodman Fiell.ed. BEECH, D., 2009. Beauty: Documents of Contemporary Art. London: Whitechapel Gallery.BIGNELL, J., 2002. Media Semitoics. Manchester: Manchester University Press.SHERMAN, C. et al., 1991. Cindy Sherman. London: Whitechapel Gallery.GAUNTLETT, D., 2007. Creative Explorations. Oxon: Routledge.GERGEN, K., 1991. Saturated Self: Dilemma of Identity in Contemporary Life. New York: BasicBooks.LYNES, R.,1954. The Tastemakers. New York: Harper.MONTE, C., 1995. Beneath the Mask: An Introduction to the Theories of Personality. Florida: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, 2001. Extreme Beauty: The Body Transformed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.VIOLETTE EDITIONS, 1998. Leigh Bowery. London: Violette Editions.

JOURNALSBANCROFT, A., 2012. Sexualities. SAGE [online] Vol.15(1):68-79 Available at: http://sex.sagepub.com/content/15/1/68 [Accessed 23rd November 2012] BOYCE, N., 2012. Lucian Freud: in the flesh. The Lancet[online] Vol.379(9817):701KEARNS, L., 1988. Identity. College English[online] Vol.50(8):875KOHLER, S., 2004. Identity. Salmagundi[online] (143):210-219LAM, A., 2003. Identity. Current Surgery[online] Vol.60(4):470-471POLLOCK, D., 1995. Masks and the semiotics of identity. JStor[online] Vol.1(3):581-597

ARTICLES and REPORTSMINTEL, 2012. Beauty Retailing UK[online] Available via: Mintel [Accessed 23rd November 2012]

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Additional SourcesTV PROGRAMMESIdentity crisis: masks,2001. [TV] Channel4, 13th March 2001.Inside the beautiful body,2012. [TV] BBC3, 27th November 2012. I want to change my body, 2012. [TV] BBC3, 20th November 2012.

VIDEOSSia, 2007.Buttons[online video] Youtube. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhW1Spd4GlE [Accessed 10th November 2012]

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Catherine WellsFASH20031Words 1089