What is Beauty? BY DAISY ROGERS
WHAT IS BEAUTY? BY DAISY ROGERS N0448356 FASHION COMMUNICATION AND PROMOTION COMMUNICATION AND MESSAGE SARAH LEWINGTON FASH20031 WORD COUNT:1702
What is Beauty?... 4
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he average women in the UK start to feel “invisible” at the age of 46 (Woolfe, 2013). Why is this? Society
has become obsessed with an unattainable beauty and everlasting youth (Niel in Edwards, 2012:Online). We have a human aversion to getting old, with wrinkles, grey hair, weight gain and dry skin seeming to become the definition of ageing (Anon, N.d: Online). We prize the dewy, youth look, but why? There is so much more to life than how you look and what other people think of you. “What is beauty” aims to challenge these perceptions and address this fear, encouraging the embrace of the ever-inevitable ageing process.
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n current society there is a distinct lack of age range across all media, with people believing that if the media
were reflective of the society, women over 50 would not exist (Anon, N.d: Online). This is captured exemplarily with John Berger’s theory of how women are depicted with the statement, “men act and women appear” (Leith, 2013).
Old age tends to get overlooked in art. For every
painting or photograph of someone elderly, there are dozens more of their youthful peers (E.H, 2012: Online). However, there are some artists who focus on this unanswered age range. We have looked at artists including Charlotte Niel, Linder Sterling, Andrew Carnie and Davis Ayers to help influence our concept and photographic shoot.
Inspiring the shoot were influences from San
Francisco based photographer Charlotte Niel and her “Body Options” exhibition. It explores the publics’ obsession with perfection and the lengths individuals will go to attain it. It is evident that the media fuel women’s obsession with the concept of eternal youth, making growing old unacceptable within society (Anon, 2013: Online). Using a collage like effect, as shown in Fig 1, Niel places magazine cut outs of what women depict as beautiful onto real women, replacing their physical features with what they depict their “ideal”. This creates a very distorted and separated image; something, along with the collage effect, we went on to use as inspiration within our shoot. 7
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ooking at this collage effect we were also inspired by the feminist artist Linder Sterling. She is often fascinated by the cultural expectations and depictions of women and the treatment of the female body, something that is so current in
the subject of “what is beauty?�. Her random placement of cut out images on photographs and the surreal, non-realistic sizing is something that we went on to use within our own photographs.
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ith the idea of projection we looked at the artist
It is worth mentioning that there are many artists
Davis Ayers and Andrew Carnie. Davis Ayers’
that have done self-portraits when they are younger and then
stunning time travel shoot, as shown in figures 6, 7 and 8,
years later when they have aged, documenting themselves
was a prime influence for our own shoot. These images focus
and the ageing process. These artists include Sir Stanley
on the female body with projections cast across them. This
Spencer, who painted a self-portrait in 1914 as a young man
really centres attention on the clear images projected, almost
and again in 1959, 5 months before his death, when he was
making it unclear that the images are spread across the
suffering from cancer. Daphne Todd won first prize in the
female body.
BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery in 2010
for “Last Portrait of Mother”, this featured a painting of her
Andrew Carnie also influenced our images with
his input in the Coming of Age exhibition, held at the
100- year- old mothers corpse. Rembrandt, who’s paintings
Newcastle Great North Museum. This time based, ageing
include “The Old Rabbi”, often painted old age, but with a
and life expectancy work was based on the cellular biology
noble and powerful approach. Finally, Edgar Degas, although
of ageing. It explores, how and why we age, built around the
suffering from a progressive retinal eye disease, his work in
themes of biology, frailty and vitality (Anon, 2011: Online).
his later life was considered better and far more successful.
The campaign sought after challenging negative perceptions
This highlights, although very few, that even artists have a
about older people in society (Anon, 2011: Online). This age
stance on age. Whether it be really highlighting the effects of
based projection work was an ideal inspiration behind our
ageing or celebrating the feat of reaching ageing.
concept and shoot.
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nfluenced by this unattainable perfection and the belief that age is a prison we have the need to indulge ourselves
with expensive anti ageing creams that are obsessed with telling us that we have to “fight the wrinkles” and “combat the fine lines”. It is no wonder people fear ageing when they fear that they are entering a war with their life (Woolfe, 2013: Online). With the global Botox market estimated to reach £1.9 billion by 2018 this just proves that we have become obsessed with pointing out the negative aspects of ageing instead of celebrating age (Woolfe, 2013). The old are the survivors. We should see it as a phenomenon that we have reached this longevity and celebrate the triumphs and vitality of older age (Anon, N.d: Online). Life should be an adventure rather than an ordeal (Melton Perkins, 2012: Online). Needing to accept these inevitable changes of ageing, “What is beauty?” hopes to address these issues challenging peoples perceptions of ageing. It aspires to encourage the embracing of old age, hoping for a day when men and women are not devalued for being old (Jae Fein, 2013: Online). Fig 12 14
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rojecting a range of photographs and collaged images
the details of the projection and the subject matter, drawing
of the older generation onto a young model, the
the viewers eyes round the curves of the body. The photos are
representative of youth today, we hoped to challenge and
trying to challenge people’s perceptions and get them to look
address both the models’ and society’s fear of ageing. The
and visualize beauty in a different way, a way of visualizing
projections place all these inevitable signs of ageing onto the
beauty as age. Why should beauty be young? Age is beauty.
models body, making them look both part of her but also
having both a distorted and surreal look. This represents
that we had to re-shoot, due to the first photograph shoots
what is to come, as ageing has to be ok; it is unavoidable. As
lighting being too bright, I feel the images were of success.
Michelle Pfeiffer said “people know your age, so why worry
The second photograph shoot used a dark room, really
about not trying to look it”(Jae Fein, 2013: Online). With a
allowing the photographs to focus on the projections and
strong gaze the model is confronting her fear of ageing and
making them part of the female body. This emphasized the
also the viewers. She is succumbing to the ageing process,
message that growing, evolving and ageing is all part of us, a
seeming to be unaffected by the age lines that are upon her.
part of our body and a part of the process of life.
The dark negative space really focuses the viewers’ gaze into 17
Although there were initial problems in the fact
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ur “What is beauty?� campaign will feature in the magazine publication iD. With its main target audience being the young professional and creative, it makes it the ideal target market for the editorial. Moreover, with the young being the main
fearers of ageing, it makes it a perfect time to capture their attention and try and address this fear. The editorial would also run coherently alongside the rest of the publication, given its often experimental and diverse content. Furthermore the editorial features images including fig 16 that conceal the models eye through the use of shadow. This fits in with the character of the magazine with its infamous covers that feature the models either concealing or closing one of their eyes.
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upporting our view, both Dove and Illamasque believe ageing is beautiful. Dove with its pro age campaign, and
Illamasque with its Generation Q campaign and collection. Illamasquas Generation Q campaign believes that beauty has no age limits. It is not young, old, black, white, male or female; it is anything, everywhere and everyone. It wants beauty to be inclusive not exclusive. Featuring a range of models, including the older women, this promotes the non-limitation of beauty (Anon, N.d: Online). Similarly, the Doves Pro Age campaign is about beauty having no age limit, it’s just about looking and feeling good for your age. With nearly all women over 50 wanting to see a change in society’s view on women and ageing, Dove is trying to make this change, by challenging the “only young is beautiful” stereotype and widening the definition of beauty. It celebrates women over 50 by showing their honest, real beauty (Anon, N.d: Online).
Both these campaigns really highlight that there is
a major problem within society and its stereotypes on the notions of beauty. However, positively, it does show that there is acceptance of these problems and that change is trying to be made. Our “what is beauty?” campaign really hopes, even if it is in way, to have made a change to peoples views on ageing, what they believe the definition of beauty should be, and how it is much more than just skin deep.
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s Betty Freidan once said “Ageing is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength” (n.d: Online).
We need to stop just glorifying the young , and become fearless in our determination to celebrate the old too. Beauty needs to be inclusive not exclusive; we should be in the day and age where men and women are not devalued for being old (Jae Fein, 2013: Online). Life could be cut short at any moment so we need to be grateful for everyday we continue to experience and appreciate the achievement of reaching the age of accomplishing wrinkles. As Coco Chanel once said “nature gives us the face we have at twenty, it is up to us to merit that face at fifty” (N.d: Online).
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What is Beauty?... 25
LIST OF IMAGES Fig 1. Charlotte Niel, online 2013. Body Options. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2415033/photographerCharlotte-Niels-Body-Options-project-real-women-pictures-perfect-parts.html [Accessed 16th November 2013] Fig 2. Linder Sterling, online 2013. Women/Object. Available at: http://artwednesday.com/2013/03/21/linder-sterling-femmeobjetwomanobject/ [Accessed 16th November 2013] Fig 3. Linder Sterling, online 2013. Women/Object. Available at: http://hypenotice.com/artwork/nsfw-punk-collages-by-lindersterling/07/ [Accessed 16th November 2013] Fig 4. Linder Sterling, online 2013. Women/Object. Available at: http://carolnasserstore.wordpress.com/tag/arte-2/ [Accessed 16th November 2013] Fig 5. Linder Sterling, online 2013. Women/Object. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/17/linder-sterling-feminist-punk-collage-photography-musee-dart-moderne_n_2317757.html [Accessed 16th November 2013] Fig 6. Davis Ayers, online 2011. Time Travel. Available at: http://gatheringmosswhilewandering.com/2011/11/15/davis-ayers-timetravel-body-art/ [Accessed 17th November 2013] Fig 7. Davis Ayers, online 2011. Time Travel. Available at: http://www.davisayer.com/#a=0&at=0&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=6 &p=5 [Accessed 17th November 2013] Fig 8. Davis Ayers, online 2011. Time Travel. Available at: http://www.davisayer.com/#a=0&at=0&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=6 &p=5 [Accessed 17th November 2013] Fig 9. Andrew Carnie, online 2010. Coming of Age. Available at: http://scienceandart--andrew-carnie.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/ coming-of-age-art-and-science-of-ageing.html [Accessed 16th November 2013] Fig 10. Andrew Carnie, online 2010. Coming of Age. Available at: http://scienceandart--andrew-carnie.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/ coming-of-age-art-and-science-of-ageing.html [Accessed 16th November 2013] Fig 11. Andrew Carnie, online 2010. Coming of Age. Available at: http://scienceandart--andrew-carnie.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/ coming-of-age-art-and-science-of-ageing.html Fig 12. Own Image, 2013. Ageing is Beautiful. Nottingham Trent University. Fig 13. Own Image, 2013. Ageing is Beautiful. Nottingham Trent University. Fig 14. Own Image, 2013. Ageing is Beautiful. Nottingham Trent University. Fig 15. Own Image, 2013. Ageing is Beautiful. Nottingham Trent University. Fig 16. Own Image, 2013. Ageing is Beautiful. Nottingham Trent University. Fig 17. Collier Schorr, online 2013. Catherine McNeil for i-D magazine pre fall 2013. Available at: http://thefashionography.com/ catherine-mcneil-for-i-d-pre-fall-2013-the-street-issue-cover/ [Accessed 24th November 2013] Fig 18. Alasdair McLellan, online 2013. Sam Rollinson for i-D magazine summer 2013. Available at: http://ftape.com/ media/?p=62251 [Accessed 24th November 2013] Fig 19: Anon, online 2007. Diana Harewood-Baynes for Dove pro age. Avaialable at: http://advertisingforadults.com/2007/02/dovepro-age-women/ [Accessed 23rd November 2013]
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Fig 20: Anon, online 2007. Daniella for Dove pro age. Available at: http://advertisingforadults.com/2007/02/dove-pro-age-women/ [Accessed 23rd November 2013] Fig 21: Anon, online 2012. Evelyn for Illamasqua Generation Q. Available at: http://joeychong.com/2012/07/11/illamasqua-generation-q-makeup-collection-for-fall-2012-meet-evelyn/ [Accessed 23rd November 2013]
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LIST OF REFERENCES Anon. 2011. Andrew Carnie. Available at: http://www.tram.ndo.co.uk/Fray%202010.htm [Accessed 15th November 2013] Anon, 2011. Coming of Age. Available at: http://scienceandart--andrew-carnie.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/coming-of-age-art-andscience-of-ageing.html [Accessed 16th November 2013] Anon. 2013. Cut it out ladies. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2415033/photographer-Charlotte-Niels-BodyOptions-project-real-women-pictures-perfect-parts.html [Accessed 16th November 2013] Anon. N.d. Generation Q, Beauty has no age limits. Available at: http://www.illamasqua.com/explore/collections/generation-q/# [Accessed 21st November 2013] Anon. N.d. Too young to be old:Dove pro age. Available at: http://www.dove.co.uk/en/Tips-Topics-and-Tools/Articles-and-Advice/ Too-young-to-be-old-Dove-Pro-Age.aspx [Accessed 22nd November 2013] Anon. N.d. The art and science of ageing. Available at: http://www.coming-of-age.org.uk [Accessed 15th November 2013] Anon. N.d. 5 Things women fear about ageing. Available at: http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/aging/5-things-womenfear-most-about-aging-2#2 [Accessed 18th November 203] Chanel, C. N.d. Coco Chanel Quotes. Available at: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/273348-nature-gives-you-the-face-you-haveat-twenty-it [Accessed 20th November 2013] Edwards, D. 2012. Interview with photographer Charlotte Niel. Available at: http://www.cdsporch.org/archives/16391 [Accessed 16th Novemeber 2013] E.H. 2012. Finding beauty in wrinkles. Available at: http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2012/06/art-ageing#comments [Accessed 15th November 2013] Friedan, B. N.d. Betty Friedan Quotes. Available at: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/82887-aging-is-not-lost-youth-but-a-newstage-of [Accessed 20th November 2013] Jae Fein, S. 2013. What if we’re not gorgeous when we’re old? Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sienna-jae-fein/agingand-beauty_b_2425942.html [Accessed 20th November 2013] Leith, W. 2012. Putting a pretty face on it. Stella Magazine. [Accessed 20th October 2013] Melton Perkins, B. 2012. Fear of Ageing: its all about attitude. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-melton-perkins/fear-of-aging_b_1888855.html [Accessed 20th November 2013] Woolfe, E. 2013. The Invisible Women. Stella Magazine. [Accessed 20th October 2013]
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BIBLIOGRAPHY Adams, R. 2013. Daphne Selfe, 85-year-old model strikes a pose for TK Maxx. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost. com/2013/08/16/daphne-selfe-model_n_3769503.html [Accessed 21st November 2013] Anon. N.d. 2013. Aging around the world. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2456273/Aging-world-Elderlypeople-globe-share-hopes-fears-youth-obsessed-society.html [Accessed 21st November 2013] Anon. 2011. Andrew Carnie. Available at: http://www.tram.ndo.co.uk/Fray%202010.htm [Accessed 15th November 2013] Anon. 2011. Charlotte Niel. Available at: http://lenscratch.com/2011/01/charlotte-niel/ [Accessed 16th November 2013] Anon, 2011. Coming of Age. Available at: http://scienceandart--andrew-carnie.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/coming-of-age-art-andscience-of-ageing.html [Accessed 16th November 2013] Anon. 2013. Cut it out ladies. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2415033/photographer-Charlotte-Niels-BodyOptions-project-real-women-pictures-perfect-parts.html [Accessed 16th November 2013] Anon. 2013. Fabulous Fashionistas. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2013/sep/18/fabulous-fashionistas-inspiration-older-women [Accessed 21st November 2013] Anon. 2013. Fashion has no age limit. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2482405/Karlie-Kloss-21-Iris-Apfel92-center-stage-Vogue-Brazils-new-issue.html [Accessed 21st November 2013] Anon. N.d. Generation Q, Beauty has no age limits. Available at: http://www.illamasqua.com/explore/collections/generation-q/# [Accessed 22nd November 2013] Anon. 2012. Illamasqua Generation Q collection. Available at: http://www.temptalia.com/illamasqua-generation-q-collection [Accessed 22nd November 2013] Anon. 2013. Meet the fabulous fashionistas. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/gallery/2013/sep/17/fabulousfashionistas-in-pictures [Accessed 21st November 2013] Anon. N.d. Too young to be old:Dove pro age. Available at: http://www.dove.co.uk/en/Tips-Topics-and-Tools/Articles-and-Advice/ Too-young-to-be-old-Dove-Pro-Age.aspx [Accessed 22nd November 2013] Anon. N.d. The art and science of ageing. Available at: http://www.coming-of-age.org.uk [Accessed 15th November 2013] Anon. 2011. The art of ageing gracefully. Available at: http://www.webmd.boots.com/healthy-ageing/features/the-art-of-ageinggracefully?page=3 [Accessed 17th November 2013] Anon. N.d. 5 Things women fear about ageing. Available at: http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/aging/5-things-womenfear-most-about-aging-2#2 [Accessed 18th November 203] Apfel, I. 2012. Iris Apfel. Available at: http://intothegloss.com/2012/01/iris-apfel/ [Accessed 21st November 2013] Brown, M. 2011. Degas and Renoir give masterclass on ageing. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/ jan/13/degas-renoir-masterclass-ageing-exhibition [Accessed 16th November 2013] Chanel, C. N.d. Coco Chanel Quotes. Available at: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/273348-nature-gives-you-the-face-you-haveat-twenty-it [Accessed 20th November 2013] Edwards, D. 2012. Interview with photographer Charlotte Niel. Available at: http://www.cdsporch.org/archives/16391 [Accessed 16th Novemeber 2013] 29
E.H. 2012. Finding beauty in wrinkles. Available at: http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2012/06/art-ageing#comments [Accessed 15th November 2013] Friedan, B. N.d. Betty Friedan Quotes. Available at: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/82887-aging-is-not-lost-youth-but-a-newstage-of [Accessed 20th November 2013] Jae Fein, S. 2013. What if we’re not gorgeous when we’re old? Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sienna-jae-fein/agingand-beauty_b_2425942.html [Accessed 20th November 2013] Krown, M K. 2011. Afraid of getting older? Make a different choice. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maddisen-kkrown/fear-of-aging_b_1115157.html [Accessed 20th November 2013] Leith, W. 2012. Putting a pretty face on it. Stella Magazine. [Accessed 20th October 2013] Lurye, R. 2012. Survey aims to ‘amplify the conversation’ on aging. Available at: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/ story/2012-06-13/getting-old-aging-attitudes/55666622/1 [Accessed 20th November 2013] Marsh, L. N.d. Linder Sterling (women/object). Available at: http://artwednesday.com/2013/03/21/linder-sterling-femmeobjetwomanobject/ [Accessed 17th November 2013] Melton Perkins, B. 2012. Fear of Ageing: its all about attitude. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-melton-perkins/fear-of-aging_b_1888855.html [Accessed 20th November 2013] Starr, B. 2012. Classic beauties get a shocking photoshop treatment. Available at: http://www.visualnews.com/2012/02/08/classicbeauties-get-a-shocking-photoshop-treatment/ [Accessed 15th November 2013] Williamson, C. 2013. Style secrets of the fabulous fashionistas. Available at: http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/ TMG10293103/Style-secrets-of-the-fabulous-fashionistas-average-age-80.html [Accessed 21st November 2013] Woolfe, E. 2013. The Invisible Women. Stella Magazine. [Accessed 20th October 2013]
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APPENDIX
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