In beauty, how do we define perfection, imperfection, or even natural? Oftentimes, we hear the phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” which would suggest that there are subjective standards for perfection and therefore, also its opposite, imperfection. But what about natural? I once thought natural meant unaltered and original. The Merriam-Webster dictionary offers many definitions for the word “natural”, among which includes “closely resembling an original : true to nature”. If we accept this definition of “natural”, then what the beauty industry presents as natural is a clear deviation.
On YouTube, we see so many influencers these days presenting makeup products that give a more natural look. We see videos on how to achieve a look that make it seem as though you’re not wearing any makeup… using makeup. How can we look more natural when wearing makeup than with our naked faces? This brings us to redefine our standards of natural, further complicating our notions of beauty.
Through this project, I explore how photo manipulation and even digital portraits mask our natural imperfections. With as little as change in lighting, we can draw attention away from acne and oily spots. Through changing contrast, a twinkle in the eyes can be added or at the very least, accentuated. Airbrushing can be performed to smooth out and altogether eliminate large pores, acne, and blackheads. With digital vector portraits, skin is much smoother, and even with imperfections drawn in, they are still far from reality.
I’m drawn to Nietzsche’s definition of truth, with which I am increasingly convinced of: truths are illusions about which one has forgotten that is what they are; metaphors which are worn out and without sensuous power; coins which have lost their pictures and now matter only as metal, no longer as coins. In this day and age, we have lost sight of the capital T Truth. We have, in our quest for self-aggrandizement, lost sight of our true identities and identify ourselves as that which we have created: a hollow shell adorned in what is unnatural to us. Once all our adornments have been stripped away, what are we left with? Who are we left with? Will we recognize ourselves when we return to our natural selves or will natural become unnatural?
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.
Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
-- 1 Peter 3:3-4 (NIV)
