Alyson Marshall

Photography
2010

A photography project exploring the fashion industry’s obsession with the idea of beauty and perfection. Various concepts were explored during the duration, including:

• The transformative effect of make-up and lighting, and the nature of androgyny;
• The process of dehumanising through airbrushing;
• The ‘plastic’ exterior, and its falseness and fragility;
• ‘Regurgitating the Media’, the social pressure for young women to conform to standardised models of beauty, and the prevalence of eating disorders;
• ‘Behind the Scenes’, the projected image vs. the real;
• The throw away attitude of the fashion industry for its models, trends, and materials;
• The impact on the mental health of women vying to fit unrealistic standards of beauty, including self-mutilation and self-abasement.

The final set of photographs are displayed above, and an accompanying video piece and additional images from each individual series can be explored in the gallery below.