Beautiful Woman

Ana Espinal

2017 - 2018

United States

This body of work focuses on an exploration of the female body and the discomforts imposed by modern femininity. I chose to create self-portrait photographs using materials that traditionally represent beauty, to demonstrate how females conform to societal pressures that beauty must be portrayed in specific ways, regardless of the physical pain. I closely worked with parts of the body I perceive women focusing on decorating in order to look and feel beautiful.

The photographs are made with soft studio lighting as a display of superficiality, very similar to what is found in beauty advertisements. The materials used in each photograph consist of different fabrics types; crystals beads and flowers that are carefully manipulated into shapes incorporating a dramatic effect just to illustrate the painful details of the process that one can call “attractiveness.” Color is fundamental to this body of work since I manipulated the colors with pink tones to emphasize the presence of the female character.

Beautiful Woman is a representation of the way I feel to be a woman and the pressure to feel feminine. The work is inspired by a recollection of memories that impacted me throughout my life and show me how to appreciate and celebrate womanhood. I want to capture the effort and time many women dedicate to this idea of the ideal beauty because life is heavily based on appearance. Ultimately I want the viewers, especially women, to feel encouraged and to embrace love of their bodies.

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  • Painted Face, Archival inkjet print, 20 x 30 in. or smaller size.

  • Juicy Roses, Archival inkjet print, 20 x 30 in. or smaller size.

  • Silky Waist, Archival inkjet print, 20 x 30 in. or smaller size.

  • Wild Lips, Archival inkjet print, 20 x 30 in. or smaller size.

  • Pink Mask, Archival inkjet print, 20 x 30 in. or smaller size.

  • Red Diamond, Archival inkjet print, 20 x 30 in. or smaller size.

  • 5' High Heels, Archival inkjet print, 20 x 30 in. or smaller size.

  • Wild Hair, Archival inkjet print, 20 x 30 in. or smaller size.

  • Dried Roses, Archival inkjet print, 20 x 30 in. or smaller size.

  • Gold Hair, Archival inkjet print, 20 x 30 in. or smaller size.

  • Blue Flower, Archival inkjet print, 20 x 30 in. or smaller size.

  • Pink Socks, Archival inkjet print, 20 x 30 in. or smaller size.

  • Pink Rollers, Archival inkjet print, 20 x 30 in. or smaller size.

  • Golden Fingers, Archival inkjet print, 20 x 30 in. or smaller size.

  • Wild Pearls, Archival inkjet print, 20 x 30 in. or smaller size.

  • Example of a 20 x 30 inches print

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