our first project of the term is inspired by some of the first pages of the book, "Simulations" by Jean Baudrillard.
we're supposed to talk about realness and being unmasked and representation and what it all means.
i don't know what it means.
any of it.
i think this book might be easier to read in french.
anyway, i started thinking about makeup.
i started thinking about all the work we go through to put makeup on and then to make it look perfect when in reality, at least for me, there's usually lipstick all over my teeth and face by the time i'm ready to walk out the door.
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| photo 11 of 12 from unmasked realness |
then, i started thinking about why we even wear makeup; what we get out of changing our physical appearances and i thought that maybe our made-up selves are more real than the natural, naked-faced selves we wake up with.
maybe how i want to look to other people, or even to myself, can explain to you more about the real me and maybe the things i try to hide are actually more revealing than the things themselves because maybe if you saw my lipstick stained face, cracked lips and unbleached teeth, you'd wonder what other parts of me are rushed, broken or dirty.
as Baudrillard says "to dissimulate is to feign not to have what one has" (pg 5).
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| photo 8 of 12 from unmasked realness |
maybe when i wear a headband, it's not only to get my flyaways under control, but it's also because i've seen every episode of Gossip Girl ever and Blair always wears a headband and she's a powerful, respected woman and imitating her makes me feel good about myself.
who knows, maybe i just like red lipstick and maybe that's because i think that Marilyn Monroe is iconic and beautiful or maybe it's because i think it looks polished and put together and maybe i think these things without ever having consciously thought them and it has nothing to do with my cracked lips at all.
there's a reason for the choices we make, whether its biking or driving to work, buying skinny jeans or bellbottoms, reading Stephen King or Jane Austen, and those reasons are the things that show the real us even if we're using these things to draw attention away from something we see as unfavorable.
why we see them as unfavorable is more telling and revealing than the things themselves.
you can see the other 10 (unedited) photos from unmasked realness by clicking here.
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This is such a great series of photos. The extreme clarity and closeness definitely enhances the sense of realness, and the different expressions throughout bring that sense of humanness and emotion that I get from reading your description of it. And props for bringing a new, meditative perspective to a topic that has been as much discussed as makeup! I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on it.
ReplyDeleteI so, so want you to explore this further! This idea has been brewing in my head for so long and I feel like you can really take it there. If you want to collab you know I would be more than down! The level of detail captured contrasting with the level of "normality" for lack of a better word, is very inspirational. I want this everywhere!
ReplyDeleteI loved your collection of photos! That said, I think the layout of this blogpost is what really made it a stellar project. Intertwining words with the already powerful and crisp photos resulted in an engaging product. Well done!
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