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WHAT IS BEAUTY? ‘Made in the image of God’
What is Beauty? Introduction.............................................3
Katherine Kiviat Inspiration and image analysis..................11
Scarification A contextual and cultural take on body modification........................5
Made in the Image of God shoot Image analysis...........................................13
Jenny Saville Critical analysis of inspiration..................7 Doug Auld ‘State of Grace’ inspiration........................9
Made in the Image of God shoot Image analysis...........................................15 Vice Magazine Analysis and contextualisation of images...................................................17 Conclusion.....................................................19
1 VICE
Tara Francis-Smith Image Analysis Fash 20031
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WHAT IS BEAUTY?
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‘I THINK PERFECTION IS UGLY, I WANT TO SEE SCARS, FAILURE, DISORDER, DISTORTION...’ -Yohji Yamamoto
D
uring the exploration of diversity within the fashion industry, we have been asking ourselves the pivotal question ‘What is Beauty?’ and analytically deconstructing the ambivalent notions that arise from this. By investigating these links, we can evaluate the fragile nature of fashion and beauty in society, acknowleding how all too often we are faced with ideals so unrealistically perfect that we have forgotten to find the beauty in difference. Perceptions of what constitutes beauty have evolved over time and understanding the way we interpret it forces us to reflect on these perceptions and challenge our individual perceived notions. Yohji Yamamoto’s quote ‘I think perfection is ugly, somewhere in the things humans make, I want to see scars, failure, disorder, distortion’ perfectly expresses the idea that beauty isn’t synonymous with physical perfection. We are a nation that ‘seeks approval, even if it’s subconscious desire; everyone wants to be deemed acceptable’ (Doha, Anon). Do facial disfigurements and scars make a person undesirable? Should there be a lack of acceptance towards those who do not conform to the natural conventions of beauty? It has been indoctrinated into our minds over years of media and publishing that ‘all beauty stems from one platonic ideal woman’ (Wolf, 1991), when really we should be learning to understand that ‘beauty is not universal or changeless’, in fact it’s ideals change at a faster pace than the evolution of species (Wolf, 1991).
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Looking at the way people perceptually view beauty today, we based our concept around the exploration of people’s reactions when faced with something that isn’t the social norm. We felt it was important to challenge the common associations people create around the subject of being beautiful and force them to start evaluating how they receive difference. Aiming to disrupt the conventional we created an emotionally responsive set of images that poignantly celebrate the beauty in imperfection, forcing viewers to appreciate the less tangible aspects of inner beauty and personal character and confront their emotions surrounding the unknown.
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MANY MISSIONARIES DISSAPPROVED OF SCARIFICATION
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nderstanding how theories behind beauty have developed over time allows us the opportunity to analyse where stigmas around being beautiful have originated from. Looking at passages from the bible, ‘Made in the image of God’ communicates the idea that ‘man… is the image and glory of God’ (1 Corinthians 11:7) and that ‘everyone should be treated with the same respect and honour’ (Carm, Anon). We cannot compare ourselves physically to God as ‘God is spirit’ ( John 4:24), we individually reflect God’s character and attributes in the form of ‘compassion, rationality, love, hatred and fellowship’ (Carm, Anon) so how can we epitomise what is physically beautiful? When Christian missionaries became established in Congo during the 1800’s, where ‘scarification was an elaborate means of body decoration for the indigenous Congolese inhabitants’, they disapproved of any body modification, contrasting it with an ‘unmodified natural body made in God’s image’. We want to poignantly challenge this notion with the argument that scars may not be seen as the image of perfection but should still be viewed as beautiful, they are a testament to our inner strength as human beings and any modifications we make to our bodies after creation should not change the nature of our beauty. We are born in Gods image and
“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” -Thích Nhat Hanh
Having researched into the behavioural attitudes people have towards those with disfigurements, we found that the results perfectly demonstrate how the media has had a massive effect on the stigmas associated with being beautiful. What we are witnessing in advertising today is the ‘fascinating marriage between the world of the artificial supermodel and the world of the ordinary consumer’ (Lindstrom, 2008) and how media images are subverting the true notions of beauty. Changing Faces have tried to battle this problem in their ‘Face Equality’ campaign, showing the population the difference between what is realistic and what is normal (Changing Faces). Research they carried out found that 9 out of 10 people had negative attitudes towards people with disfigurements despite saying they didn’t. What this worrying figure exposes is the underlying subconcious prejudice that some of us cannot seem to shake. Our images question ‘why the public react negatively or with curiosity to seeing people with burn scar disfigurement?’ (Blakeney et al) and force them to confront their emotions when looking at disfigurements first hand. Our concept strives to make people look past the initial recognition of imperfection and look deeper into the beautiful nature of healing and self-acceptance.
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‘THE DISTRESSING DITRITUS OF CREATIVITY’ -Saville
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aking inspiration from contemporary British artist, Jenny Saville, we began exploring the connotations associated with the human form. Often credited for her re-appropriation of the female figure, she examines ideas of mutation and distortion, finding ‘narrow versions of normality’ (Saville, Anon) boring and unrepresentative of our population. It is monumentally clear to viewers that in her large scale paintings, Saville depicts the ‘gritty realism of the human body’ (Allsopp, 2012) in all its beauty and imperfections, highlighting and defining shapes in a beautifully unique way and investigating the ‘painterly exuberance of flesh’ (Noel, Anon). Much like Saville, our images aim to explore the deep contrast between the mass public’s presentation and perception of the body and the scrutinised reality of extreme humanness.
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“I was fascinated by the way her two breasts would become one, the way her fat moved, the way it hung on the back of her arms.� -Saville
DOUG AULD ‘STATE OF GRACE’
‘I FELT SADDENED FOR HER TRAGEDY, AND LATER EMBARRASSED IN MY REACTION’ - Doug Auld
A
iming to explore the extensive parameters of beauty in our society, we were also drawn to the work of American fine artist, Doug Auld. His beautifully emotive series of paintings celebrate inner strength, confidence and character, redefining ‘our perception of who we find to be beautiful’ (Auld, 2002). He reinstates the idea that our definition of beauty is determined by science, dictated by angles and measurements and determined by the symmetry of our features. This concludes whether we react in negative or positive ways and ultimately defines our identity. Turning this on its head, Auld’s ‘State of Grace’ series portray the beautiful nature of 16 burn victims who have had to develop ‘a strong sense of self at an early age’ in order to survive public alienation. He depicts their injuries in a captivating and alluringly graceful manner exploring the challenging notions of beauty. Extensive research into the works of Jenny Saville and Doug Auld have helped aid the development of our concept and allowed us to gain a critical understanding of the messages our images are aiming to convey. Examining the fragile nature of the relationship between beauty and disfigurements, we were able to portray the less tangible aspects of inner beauty and the magnificent journey one takes through the process of healing, mirrored with the harsh reality of the battles they face with self-acceptance and social prejudice.
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‘A LONG WAY. BUT THE JOURNEY NOT DONE’ -Katherine Kiviat
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merican documentary photographer, Katherine Kiviat, is renowned for her delicate portrayal of several burn victims in Pakistan. She beautifully communicates the fragile nature of their stories allowing viewers a small window of insight into the troubles they have faced throughout their lives. Holding a retrospective image of herself before being burned with acid by her husband, 22 year old Saira was abused and exploited and has had to adapt to living with a completely new identity. We adopted a similar concept when photographing our model Charlie, who suffered severe head injuries after being hit by a car as a child. The impact left his face permanently scarred and social prejudice and alienation are only a few of the emotions he was subject to whilst growing up.
‘I KNEW PEOPLE WOULD STARE BUT I LEARNT TO LIVE WITH IT’ - Charlie Blackburn
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hen looking at the younger photo of Charlie, the viewer is confronted with an unconventional beauty and this forces them into a turmoil of unanticipated emotions. There are elements of shock and disbelief at the bruised and blackened image of him, which create an aura of tender compassion and sorrow. The viewer is invited into the most significant aspect of his life, the incredible transition from a frail, hurting child, to a brave and beautiful young man with copious amounts of inner strength and fortitude. The image consummately illustrates the beautiful nature of healing and the soft grey backdrop carries with it some of the strength and mystery of black without portraying the colour’s negative attributes. The connection that is being formed between Charlie and the audience is strengthened by his deeply emotive gaze into the camera. He isn’t looking away or down at the picture of himself in figure 15 which suggestively connotes ideas of self-satisfaction and worth, having overcome the experiences in his past of social prejudice. We wanted the images to portray a stripped back aesthetic and the decision to use minimal props has allowed us to create a much more striking final image. The watch on his left hand subtly connotes underlying aspects of time, further communicating the beautiful process of healing and personal development.
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t was an important factor in our shoot to form this connection between what is real and what isn’t. We chose to create artificial burns on our model Mike so we could examine and document how people react when they are faced with a beauty that isn’t the epitome of perfection. We wanted to critically understand how this makes them feel, is there a general consensus to look away in immediate shock or disgust? Photographing Charlie, someone who has lived with a scar on his face and body his whole life, gives us a greater understanding and better insight into the reactions and prejudice people do hold towards those with disfigurements. Like the work of Jenny Saville, producing our images large-scale will magnify the issues we are trying to address, forcing people to confront their emotions and start thinking about how they receive difference. Depicting a completely different aesthetic and atmosphere in figure 18, Mike has an artificial burn leading down from his face to his shoulder, completely stripping him of the identity he has had his whole life and replacing it with one he is dejectedly uncomfortable and unfamiliar with. Feelings of embarrassment and self-consciousness fill the composition and reveal themselves in the large expanse of black surrounding him, strongly connoting ideas of fear, solitude and abandonment. We get the sense that he is in the dark about his scars, failing to accept himself, hiding from peoples prejudice perceptions.
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‘WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE PEOPLE FEEL EASIER BEING SIMILAR’ -Changing Faces
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he striking juxtaposition of the black backdrop against his warm skin tone and the harsh brutality of the reds within his burn, create an immensely alluring composition that exceedingly depicts the idea that beauty is not synonymous with perfection. The aim behind our shoot is to allow viewers the chance to re-evaluate their immediate responses and start looking at beauty differently. It is profoundly clear to viewers the beautiful journey one takes throughout their life when living with a disfigurement, so why are we so quick to judge difference as something that isn’t beautiful?
‘A hipper-than-thou alternamag with dreams of world domination...’ V
ice magazine is a creative publication that isn’t afraid to communicate uncomfortable truths to its readers and has ‘firmly established itself as a vehicle for news that other publications will not carry’ (The Independent 2008). Our photographic shoot ‘Made in the image of God’, would be contextualised in a publication like Vice, with its controversial content specialising in the documentation of situations that have been neglected by ‘what is colloquially called the mainstream media’ (Nolan, 2013). With strict control over which retailers can- and will - carry the free monthly edition Vice has become an extremely elusive publication and is primarily aimed at young creatives. The magazine is most popularly read by ‘trendsetting metropolitans aged 21-34’ (Media Kit, 2011) and previous studies conclude that young adults primarily respond more approvingly to faces which do not show any anomalies (Richardson, 1970) finding it difficult to attach positive qualities to people with disfigurements. With Vice’s main readership among the younger generation, formatting our images into one of their publications could start to challenge and undo some of the social impressions people hold against diversity early on and start actively targeting the undefinable question of ‘What is beauty?’.
Fig 19
Solely covering issues that all too often ‘fall under the radar’ (Capper, 2008) in mainstream publications and media, Vice publicises emotive images that aim to uncover uncomfortable situations surrounding ‘global youth culture’ (Playboy, 2011 ). ‘Made in the image of God’ resembles an overt similarity in aesthetic and message, aiming to passionately address the problems we face within our commercial culture.
17 VICE Fig 20
19 VICE
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ntrigued by the stereotypical nature of social impressions around facial disfigurements, we focussed our attention on trying to challenge the extensive parameters of beauty in today’s society. Exploring the religious belief that we are all part of God’s creation, our photographic shoot aims to visually convey the message that beauty comes from within and shouldn’t be this preconceived notion of superficial perfection we have been forced to idolise. ‘It is seeing which establishes our place in the surrounding world’ (Berger, 1972) and we have been conditioned to respond and react in a certain way when faced with extreme differences in appearance. All too often these responses are negative and the dubious temptation to stare in shock or disgust perfectly demonstrate how we as a society are quick to judge a person as not beautiful if they aren’t the epitome of perfection. Aiming to portray the representation of scars and burns in a positive light, we have illustrated the beautiful process of healing and portrayed the less tangible aspects of beauty, demonstrating the profound journey one takes through the battles of social prejudice and self acceptance.
PEOPLE DO MAKE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT WHO YOU ARE FROM WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE,... ITS THE WAY WE ARE CONSTANTLY BOMBARDED WITH THE MESSAGE THAT YOU HAVE TO LOOK GOOD’ - Changing Faces
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REFERENCES
ALLSOPP, Jake. (2012). Critical Analysis: Jenny Saville. [online] Available at: http://jamarchy.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/criticalanalysis-jenny-saville.html. [Accessed 18 November 2013]. AULD, Doug. (2002). Doug Auld: Portraits of burn survivors. [online] Available at: http://dougauld.com/history.php. [Accessed 18 November 2013]. BERGER, John. (1972). Ways of Seeing. British Broadcasting Corporation. London. Great Britain. Page 7. [Accessed 22 November 2013) BLAKENEY ET AL. (2007). Community integration: Journal of burn care and research. Volume 28. Pages 598-601. [Accessed 17 November 2013]. CARM. (Date Unknown). What is meant when it says man is made in the image of God. [online] Available at: http://carm.org/questions/about-people/what-meant-when-it-says-man-made-image-god. [Accessed 16 November 2013]. CHANGING FACES. (Date Unknown). The Face Equality campaign. [online] Available at: https://www.changingfaces.org.uk/FaceEquality/About-face-equality. [Accessed 17 November 2013]. 1 CORINTHIANS 11:7. (Date Unknown). Growing deeper in the word. [online] Available at: http://www.biblestudytools.com/ commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/1-corinthians-11-7.html. [Accessed 16 November 2013] DOHA, Qatar. (Date Unknown). Distorted perception of beauty. [online article] Available at: http://www.teenink.com/hot_topics/ what_matters/article/404123/distorted [Accessed 15 November 2013] JOHN 4:24, CARM. (Date Unknown) What is meant when it says man is made in the image of God. [online] Available at: http:// carm.org/questions/about-people/what-meant-when-it-says-man-made-image-god. [Accessed 16 November 2013]. LINDSTROM, Martin. (2008). Buyology: How everything we believe about why we buy is wrong. United States: Doubleday publishing group. Page 189. [Accessed 17 November 2013].
MEDIA KIT. (2011). Vice print media kit. [online] Available at: http://assets.vice.com/press/vice_print_media_kit_2011.pdf. [Accessed 20 November]. NOEL, Laurence. (Date Unknown). Jenny Saville: The Body Recovered. Cujah. [online] Available at: http://cujah.org/past-volumes/ volume-vi/essay-13-volume-6/. [Accessed 18 November 2013]. NOLAN, Hamilton. (2013). The revolution will not be Vice. Gawker. [online] Available at: http://gawker.com/the-revolution-willnot-be-vice-1165948487. [Accessed 20 November 2013]. PLAYBOY. (2011). Vice Media Kit 2011. [online] Available at: http://assets.vice.com/press/vice_print_media_kit_2011.pdf. [Accessed 20 November]. RICHARDSON, SA. (1970) Joyce, M. Tobiasen, Ph.d. Social judgements of Facial Deformity. [online] Available at: http://digital. library.pitt.edu/c/cleftpalate/pdf/e20986v24n4.09.pdf. [Accessed 20 November 2013]. SAVILLE, Jenny. Anna McNay (2012). Art Corpus: Review of Jenny Saville at Modern Art Oxford. [online] Available at: http://artcorpus.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/review-of-jenny-saville-at-modern-art.html. [Accessed 17 November 2013]. THE INDEPENDANT. (2008). The Vice Squad: How ‘Vice’ magazine became the new teen bible. [online] Available at: http:// www.independent.co.uk/news/media/the-vice-squad-how-vice-magazine-became-the-new-teen-bible-876351.html. [Accessed 20 November]. THICH NHAT HANH. (Date Unknown). Good Reads. [online] Available at: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/350914-to-bebeautiful-means-to-be-yourself-you-don-t-need. [Accessed 17 November 2013]. UNKNOWN. Body decoration & World Culture: Scarring. [online] Available at: http://www.schoolsliaison.org.uk/bodydecoration/ scarring/man_upoto.html. [Accessed 17 November 2013]. WOLF, Naomi (1990). The Beauty Myth, How images of beauty are used against women. London: Chatto and Windus. Page 12. [Accessed 15 November 2013].
ILLUSTRATIONS
Fig 1 Own Image. (2013). Mike Burns. Front cover: photoshop edit. [photograph]. Fig 2 Own Image. (2013). Lynne and Michael. [photograph]. Fig 3 Own Image. (2013). Lynne and Michael opposite ways. [photograph]. Fig 4 Naomi, W. (1970). The Beauty Myth. [image online]. Available at http://ideas.sydneyoperahouse.com/2012/extract-from-the-beautymyth-by-naomi-wolf/. [Accessed 20 November 2013]. Fig 5 Own Image. (2013). Mike portrait. [photograph]. Fig 6 Patrick, D. (Date Unknown). Nyangatom Tribe. [online image]. Available at: http://patrickdrummond.com/portfolio/nyangatom-tribe/. [Accessed 20 November 2013]. Fig 7 Jenny, S. (Date Unknown). Phosphenes. [online image]. Available at: http://x-phosphenes.tumblr.com/post/41388143953/voltraclosed-contact-by-jenny-saville. [Accessed 21 November 2013]. Fig 8 Jenny, S. (1998). Rubens flap: Design for media project. [online image]. Available at: http://kaitlynjosmith.wordpress.com/2013/08/28/ design-for-media-project-1-menagerie-2/. [Accessed 21 November 2013]. Fig 9 Jenny, S. (Date Unknown). Jenny Saville: The makings of an artist. [online image]. Available at: http://blog.ocad.ca/wordpress/ gart1b51-fw2011-01/2012/02/jenny-saville-the-makings-of-an-artist/. [Accessed 21 November 2013]. Fig 10 Doug, A. (2005). State of Grace: Shayla. [online image]. Available at: http://www.dougauld.com/state-of-grace/shayla.php. [Accessed 22 November 2013].
Fig 11 Doug, A. (2005). State of Grace: Rebecca and Louise. [online image]. Available at: http://www.dougauld.com/state-of-grace/sisters. php. [Accessed 22 November 2013]. Fig 12 Doug, A. (2006). State of Grace: Jabril. [online image]. Available at: http://www.dougauld.com/state-of-grace/jabril.php. [Accessed 22 November 2013]. Fig 13 Katherine, K. (2009). Burn Victims in Pakistan: Sabira and Iram. [online image]. Available at: http://www.katherinekiviat.com/#/pakistan/burn-victims-in-pakistan/Sabira_Iram03. [Accessed 22 November 2013]. Fig 14 Katherine, K. (2009). Burn Victims in Pakistan: Saira. [online image]. Available at: http://www.katherinekiviat.com/#/pakistan/ burn-victims-in-pakistan/Saira10. [Accessed 22 November 2013]. Fig 15 Own Image. (2013). Charlie portrait. [photograph]. Fig 16 Own Image. (2013). Charlie looking down. [photograph]. Fig 17 Own Image. (2013) Mike Profile. [photograph]. Fig 18 Own Image. (2013). Mike Burns. [photograph]. Fig 19 Vice Magazine. (Date Unknown). Student Guide. [online image]. Available at http://viceland.com/issues_uk/guide_student/htdocs/. [Accessed 24 November 2013]. Fig 20 Own Image. (2013). Charlie portrait: photoshop edit. [photograph]. Fig 21 Own Image. (2013). Mike portrait. [photograph].
APPENDIX