am I pretty yet? (2020)
This experimental video piece explores themes of self-confidence, body image, and beauty standards within the age of social media.
A faceless, feminine figure walks into frame, moving and posing in ways that suggest she is analyzing her body and appearance in front of a mirror. The square aspect ratio and one-minute length of the video harkens, both literally and metaphorically, to the constraints of Instagram, an image-based social media platform that has been proven to have negative effects on users's self confidence and beauty standards. The figure's skin and hair is replaced by footage of flowers, as if in an attempt to cover their image with something traditionally equated with natural beauty and femininity. The title question "am I pretty yet?" invites viewers to consider their own definition of "pretty" and the unnatural lengths some go to hide or alter their natural appearance to achieve a "perfect", "pretty" version of themselves.
A faceless, feminine figure walks into frame, moving and posing in ways that suggest she is analyzing her body and appearance in front of a mirror. The square aspect ratio and one-minute length of the video harkens, both literally and metaphorically, to the constraints of Instagram, an image-based social media platform that has been proven to have negative effects on users's self confidence and beauty standards. The figure's skin and hair is replaced by footage of flowers, as if in an attempt to cover their image with something traditionally equated with natural beauty and femininity. The title question "am I pretty yet?" invites viewers to consider their own definition of "pretty" and the unnatural lengths some go to hide or alter their natural appearance to achieve a "perfect", "pretty" version of themselves.