Enduring Beauty

By: Katie Readings

Contact: katiereadings@yahoo.co.uk

Exploring the idea of beauty and make-up in modern western society, this project will ask questions about how ideals of beauty are upheld and aspired to by women today. Make-up is a huge part of most women’s (and some men’s) lives, we apply it every day with little thought about why. Certain features are emphasised, some covered up, and we have hundreds of products to help us do so. One question in particular reappeared throughout my project; whether make up serves to emphasise and highlight our features, or to cover up and camouflage, since even the most basic application of cosmetics changes the way you look.

This project aims to make people think about the motivations behind make-up in contemporary western society, and asks whether it can be seen as repressing women into male ideals of beauty, or empowering them to be whoever they want to be at any given time with just the flick of an eye shadow brush.