Self-surveillance as discussed by Philip Agre has not only changed our behavior, it has also changed the way we perceive ourselves. We start seeing ourselves through the eyes of others. Richard Woodward accurately describes “the competition for eyeballs in the digital market place.”
This world, in which beauty is measured by the number of “likes” on facebook, as well as the skewed representation of beauty in the media, has created a generation of people lacking self confidence and some even despising their natural look. The lack of a positive representation of self worth motivated me to embark on my project “Fearfully and Wonderfully made,” which was inspired by a verse in Psalms 139.
For the project, I captured intimate moments of girls staring at themselves in the mirror or applying make-up to one side of their face. Having half a face covered in thick make-up and the other completely natural was my way of portraying an individual’s beauty with or without make-up. Capturing moments of the girls writing “fearfully and wonderfully made” on the mirror highlights the need for us to be content with the way we have been created. My heart was filled with joy when one of my models said “Wow… I actually look better without make-up, thank you for making me realize that!”
Despite the challenges faced during the project, such as hiding my camera and myself in a room full of mirrors and obtaining the correct lighting to prevent a glare, I am very happy with the outcome.
