Curating our perfect selves

"The warped self-perception and the lengths we go to curate a 'perfect' virtual self."

Curating our best online selves has become a priority, with 60 million images uploaded to Instagram every day, it appears we all try to find a version of ourselves that gets the most ‘likes.'

With blemish apps and slimming tools; promotion and PR companies swarming around, I ponder the question is any of this real? Is the version of yourself popping Prosecco, partying and pouting legitimate? Was the club really that cray? or did you blur your selfie to make you look 'crunk as'.

Research from the University of Buffalo indicates that women who base their self-worth on their appearance are likely to post more pictures of themselves on social media seeking validation.

“Social media is definitely something that is setting models apart because it makes someone relatable,” Gigi Hadid (1.6 million Instagram followers) But just how relatable is it to be working out with your trainer 6 days a week, getting your nails done everyday and jetting of to Malan and Mubai every other day. With comments such as #goallife and "i wish I was you" sets unrealistic expectations of what life can be, and followers become dissatisfied with their own exhistance.

Insta girls posing on beaches and promoting teeth whitening looks like the ideal lifestyle right? Getting payed to post pics of drinking juice and eating brunch? 

But when 19 year old insta-idol and lifestyle guru Essena O'Neill (612,000 IG followers) quit Instagram due to claims that social media 'is not real life' it's questioned how perfect up-keeping a perfect image is. 

On 27 October O'Neill deleted over 2,000 pictures “that served no real purpose other than self-promotion”, editing the captions to leave 96 posts in a bid to to reveal the manipulation, and insecurities she has behind them.

Some of us are experiencing feelings of insecurities and 'serious fomo' when looking at these girls lives."People are publicising usually something really cool or fun that they’re doing, or at least they make it appear that way. I absolutely feel insecure."

People feel pressured to look good purely for social media. Living in a cyber world where they exist souly for a thumbs up. "I would never post a photo that wasn’t flattering of me."

"I feel anxiety over how many likes I get after I post a picture. "

"Id defiantly delete a photo if it didn’t get enough likes." 

Although some insta-famous people use there powers of promo for good, such as spreading awareness for examples like LGBT and feminism and veganism, others are publishing plastic lifes that are leaving some of us feel lack luster and unappealing. 

the truth behind the filter is that not everything is at it seems, nobody's life is perfect and you cant believe everything you see through12 little edited squares.

Pictochatting a 12 year old about boys.

pictochatting a 12 year old

- ch

we just broke up, he moved to New Zealand

-ch

I told my mum I was at your house

-ch

I cant text my parents took my phone away 

-ch

Is love underwater?

In a culture that fetishsises youth, we are bombarded by references and synoptic tales of childhood. Looking into cinamatography that captures the pure essence of what its like to be young, I have noticed a trend; dramatic love scenes happen in swimming pools.
From The Graduate to Garden State and The Social Network to Romeo and Juliet, climatic moments of teen films are seen underwater.

It pondered me the question, why water? I like the concept of love and water being associated. Love is a consuming emotion, you can feel like your floating, and then you feel like your drowning.

Surrounded by someone and completely dissolved

a rapid tide gathered my moving waters

notions of free falling 

and being utterly sea sick
let go and feel fully immersed 

once treading water to jumping in headfirst diving into everything and anything.

Protection and suffocation

She is vulnerable, she is naked Clasping herself she draws the dust sheeting around her, like a protective blanket of precaution, but yet she is left exposed. slowly drawing the air from her lungs, suffocated. Yet she draws in closer still, with the belief that she is protected. Her breathing becomes short, restricted. wrapping herself in, trapping herself in, alone.

unaware.

Surburban secrets

 Pamela Royce

Amelia Myers

Isabella Strickland

 Victoria Bloomisted 

All the right junk in all the right places.

2016 a year when yet again we all obsesses with perfect 'ideals' of the human form.

With Kimmy K bums and sculpted rock solid tums, this idea of the power 8 hourglass figure has become more unachievable than ever.

Having a size 6 waist and a size 16 ass is not something we are all born with, and  this 'dillema' has caused a dramatic rise in requests for plastic surgery procedures. Including the likes of Brazilian butt lifts, breast augmentations and liposuction at an all time high.

"Women are asking for larger, but more natural-looking breasts as well as enhanced buttocks, rounder hips and slimmer thighs," - Dr. Stephen J. Greenberg (top plastic surgeon)

Over to the holy grail 'thigh gap' desired by seemingly everyone in lulu lemon leggings; this is achieved by 'inner thigh laser lipo' which removes exercise-resistant fat. cute.

 And then to waist trainers, a contraption conjured up in the 1500's designed to pinch your waist and hinch your hips. Well they've had a 2016 sprushed-up to become all the instafamous girls latest toy. Although exclaimed "It's unrealistic to expect that these devices can fundamentally change body shape," - Dr. David Hidalgo. But apart from lack- lustre results and damaging health #thewaisttrain doesn't seem like its departing anytime soon.

 Plastic surgery shouldn't be seen as an aspiration for a 13 year old watching KUWTK, or flicking through Cosmo. Body standards and oppressive media images are making people feel as if perfection will never ever be achieved. but perfection dose not exist and never will next year huge ankles and tiny thumbs colour be the new rage. Diversity and difference is the most beautiful thing we could ask for. 

You are #blessed and #loved so #yolo.

Turquoise the honest colour.

The Color Turquoise

Colour psychology states the meaning of the color turquoise is one of open communication, honesty and clarity of thought. Turquoise helps to open the lines of communication between the heart and the spoken word. It presents as a friendly and happy colour enjoying life.

This is contradictory as turquoise is heavily featured in the interiors of the totalitarian country of North Korea. The eerily fresh, dystopian sterilisation of these images creates a picture of deceptiveness of the corrupt world.

Milk is because milk flows

The milky moustache’s crawling towards their mothers, and then away from their arms; keeping the safety net of warmth and dependancy soaked in lactose.

The primary source of nutrition and life line for the infant mammals. 

The antibodies march like soldiers providing protection to the toothless that are growing the roots to become shoots, and then for the shoots to leave.

Continue to consume beyond infancy, using others to settle stomachs of worry and stress, a heavy load lightened by the white water. The elders did not posses the skill of digesting the silky solution, but yet they ignored the calling and continued to swallow. Abnormal. Intolerance. Instead, they call it lactase persistent; this subset of humanity to stay milk drinkers into adulthood.

The roots start to grow back to nostalgia to refuge in that sentiment. They drink the milk to gain the childlike memory and state of comfort reverting back to their youth and reconnect with mothers.
 to induce warm sleep and serenity, to become full in an empty room.




Film / Photography 
Styling / Production - Chloe Hughes

Music Sampled - Miasma (Baths) 

Model - Hebe Iris Blackett

Assisting - Sarah Elizabeth Curran

Moodboard - Monday - White Out