(Title was inspired from Melanie Martinez’s song, Mrs. Potato Head.)

My overall theme was heavily influenced by the standard of beauty nowadays. The reason why I chose this topic was because whenever we scroll through social networking sites, we would come across a post or two about related to beauty, even the bizarre ones. For example, the recent “sheet of paper” body trend, where women are trying to compare their waist line with a sheet of A2 paper. There are those who took drastic measures just to achieve that look. And what for? Attention? Fame? A sense of achievement?

It’s scary how social media can affect one’s perception of beauty.

Addition:

(I wanted to achieve this look of “paper cut out dress up dolls.”)

This piece was inspired by a personal experience of mine. There are times where I don’t feel like dolling myself up for a certain event. My mother will insist that I have to have makeup on at least. Why? Her answer was because I was a woman. Is it bad not to look petty in public?

In a way, it makes me feel women are subjected to having to look pretty all the time.

Subtraction:

Does it become an identity to have and be recognized as someone attractive? Is image that important? What happens when that very image is gone? Does it lead to a lost of identity?

It makes you wonder if  we as human being pride outer beauty over inner beauty any day.

Superimposed:

It isn’t bad that we, as human beings, want to look attractive. It is only human nature to be obsessed about it. Or is it? Perhaps we’ve been influenced much by the media in our everyday lives. Let’s be honest, when have beauty commercials chose someone considered less attractive over someone more attractive? It puts this negative feeling unto us, that if you’re not attractive, you’re nothing because “No one will love you if you’re unattractive.”

We learn what we see. Subconsciously, we believe what is shown to us.

Substitute:

There are people who will go to the extent just to alter their look. Barbie here is used as a metaphor of “Even if pretty does hurt, it’s probably not worth it to start cutting and pasting because one may regret trying to make themselves into something they are not.” Remember, though barbie is pretty, she is still plastic. So why put yourself to achieve something that is plastic?

Maybe, we as humans should accept what we consider as flaws; the very aspect that makes us humans and not pretty plastic dolls.

I would like to conclude that it is one’s choice to do what they want with their body. No matter what, the most important is being comfortable with oneself.