The beauty mask

This on-going series explores how natural beauty is masked by cosmetics that women use every day, and how the language of advertising is absorbed into the subconscious, where it constantly influences what women buy and how they perceive themselves. The text in this work is appropriated from advertising slogans found in popular women’s magazines, and is often difficult to read, signifying how the linguistics of advertising subconsciously attempts to persuade women to buy cosmetic products that alter their physical appearance. The repetition of phrases throughout the work alludes to the repetitive nature of cosmetic rituals many women partake in on a daily basis. It is intended that a sense of familiarity be experienced with these images.

In the newest phase of this series, the work focuses on addressing the history of the female, Renaissance portrait. The portraits, often commissioned by a father or spouse, represented, not the physically beauty of its sitter, but the wealth and stature of the commissioner. The self-portrait is used to investigate the various experiences of using cosmetics to commodify beauty, like how physical appearance is altered in order to receive acceptance in society.

The use of material symbolizes the application of various cosmetic products on the skin, as well as the way in which advertising is absorbed by the subconscious.