Beauty Standards
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
I photo a lot of beautiful people. But of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Here are my definitions of beauty.
Natural is beautiful. Authenticity is beautiful. Emotions are beautiful. Vulnerability is beautiful. Confidence is beautiful. Overcoming pain and hardship is so immensely beautiful.
In the age of digital media, facades are all we see about people. Rarely do we see the deeper beauty beneath the surface. So naturally it's hard for a photograph to show people in their true beauty.
The fashion and beauty photography industry is built upon superficial ideals of perfection. Easy beauty, where we can spend money to suddenly become "beautiful." Fluttery eyelashes, hairography, fake smiles, shiny lip gloss, name brand clothes, retouched skin. We convince the world these cheap tactics are all you need to become beautiful.
It's always a struggle for me to do my art and capture beauty, when others believe beauty standards involve just makeup and pretty clothes. Because true beauty is so much more meaningful than that, and we should all try our hardest to discover what it can be.
