When linking back to plastic surgery, i think the power of the cosmetic, can cause a dramtic change on todays society. When researching i found a picture that interested me and therefore researched and wrote about it.
This photograph I think focuses upon today’s society and its obsession with plastic surgery, especially among women. When it comes to physical appearance women are constantly being advertised with innovative ways to look younger, sexier, thinner, buffer and prettier. The list for perfection and the methods of achieving a certain image are immense. However, plastic surgery is the new craze that women are utilizing as a quick fix to alter their appearance.
I think when photographing her friend, in bright lighting, she wanted to make the models breasts the main focus. The model stares at her chest with a questionable face that is mixed with concern, possibly content, yet overall confusion. She was made to look as though she underwent breast augmentation and is still contemplating the results of her surgery. I think the photographer wanted the image to appear blurry and have the viewer’s gaze go directly toward her chest, as if that's the only part of being that matters.
That’s also why her eye contact is directly looking down as she makes no eye contact to the camera, due to her caught up appearance. By doing this the photographer wanted the viewer to realize that this is society telling her that her body and the way it looks is the only thing that matters.
She is unable to take note of anything else or truly realize the other components of her being, because of her initial idea of having larger breasts thinks would make her more beautiful. I think this is what society tells women. It was one of those preset values that is automatically deemed appropriate and correct for all women because society says to. Even though the model looks unpleased and unsure of her decision she went ahead with plastic surgery because she felt it necessary to be considered beautiful and to look sexier and more womanly. I think this an issue that many young girls face, and the model is able to feature the extremes they will go to, to achieve a certain look.
Not only do women suffer with the beauty of plastic surgery but also other problems such as eating disorders. Many women want to look like the perfect shape and size and therefore take maters into consideration.
This photograph I find to be the most blunt and completed in a manner that solely focuses upon the models thin frame and her still unhappy state. Her face resembles the self consciousness of her personality, signifying her disgust and desperation. Overall the photograph represents eating disorders among young girls and the pressures placed upon them by society to remain thin because thin equates to being beautiful. This photograph specifically highlights that although the model is very thin, she is still unpleased with her body and unable to cope with the idea of having a less than perfect physical appearance. She is engulfed into the idea of loosing weight and is willing to go to any extreme to do so. When viewers look at the photo I think the photographer wanted them to experience a sense of pain for her. Pain regarding the way she looks and how it is sad the extremes she has gone to, to please society. She has become so wound up in her body that she is in a state of desperation as to what to do next. This stereotype I find to be extremely prevalent in today’s society and relatable to many girls who have either experienced eating disorders themselves or have witnessed a friend or family member who has underwent such a struggle. The photographer has tried to keep the lighting bright as symbolic of a room for change and that an end to this can surface if people are willing to stand up to the demands of society.
Phillip Toledano “a new kind of Beauty”
The photographer Phillip Toledano is interested in what we as the public, define as beauty, when we choose to create it ourselves.
Beauty has always been a currency, and now that we finally have the technological means to mint our own, what choices do we make?
He questions, “Is beauty informed by contemporary culture? By history? Or is it defined by the surgeon’s hand? Can we identify physical trends that vary from decade to decade, or is beauty timeless? Perhaps we are creating a new kind of beauty. An amalgam of surgery, art, and popular culture? And if so, are the results the vanguard of human induced evolution?
When annualising these concepts I began to question “When we re-make ourselves, are we revealing our true character, or are we stripping away our identity? After thinking about this question, I began thinking ideas and how I could develop further.
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