Push, Pull, Prod
Beauty standards are the accustomed cultural expectations of generalized perceived attractiveness based on outward appearance; they are typically formed around facial structure, complexion, hair color, height, weight, skin complexion, or eye color. While the cosmetic industry creates propaganda intended to create insecurities within people, they are also promoting visual conformity among females. While true uniformity is not obtainable, my work Push, Pull, Prod is a series of three wearable pieces intended to be worn as a futile attempt to assist the wearer in achieving the prescribed look promoted in Westernized beauty standards. Pull is a small nose piece that hooks into the wearer’s nostrils. With the hooks of this utensil, the wearer must pull their nose up and back to secure the piece by pinching it onto the bridge of the nose. This piece is intended to make the wearer’s nose appear straighter and more petite while giving the end of the nose an upward turn. Push functions to keep the wearer’s facial cheeks pressed up high while creating a dramatic contour of the lower cheek. To apply this piece, the wearer must wrap the device around the back of their head, adjust the front hairline piece in place, and secure the front hooks into the creases of both sides of their mouth. As the wearer places the hooks into their mouth, this will create an inevitable forced smile on their face and push their skin to create a strong crease line across both sides of the face. Prod is a piece that addresses the Western beauty standard of having lifted eyebrows and large eyes. This piece wraps above the head, with the securing wire resting at the nape of the neck. A wire crosses the forehead, holding two wires hooked into the arches of the eyebrow and pulled upwards, creating the appearance of an eyebrow lift. All three pieces in this series can be worn together simultaneously to assist the wearer in achieving Western society's white, Euro-centric beauty standards. The result is an involuntary facial expression painfully forced into an unmovable position that appears artificial.