Beauty? What does that word mean to you? And who or what is that to you?
Over the years, the word beauty and its connotations have been questioned and have raised many pressing conflicts. In my personal view, the word beauty should only be used in relation to make-up products, example ‘Beauty’ products.
Perfection usually follows beauty, but I think perfection is not only boring, but also fake. Models with perfect skin, hair and or body have usually been edited and manipulated in one way or another. I do not speak for all models, because some are naturally blessed and I cannot slate that. But the flaws that the re-workers remove, I do not see as flaws. They are parts of the model themselves. Take a scar for example; they would be completely removed from the image. But the scar itself is part of the body and behind that scar is a story to tell. That is a part of your life that you are completely removing, purely because it’s not seen as ‘beautiful.’ This idea is something that I have not only taken further and turned into a fashion editorial, but have also looked at the stories and lives of the people who have these ‘imperfections’.
Alexander McQueen is a name that everyone should have heard of… If not, STOP READING, GO DO YOUR RESEARCH, THEN COME BACK!
And those of you who know the name, know the strength and laws of beauty that McQueen continuously broke. He questioned what is and was considered to be beautiful, and what makes someone beautiful. In 1998, Alexander McQueen guest edited Dazed and Confused Magazine. This issue was very McQueen, from the cover down to the editorials. The cover showed Katy England in nothing but a well fitted pair of trousers, looking confident and comfortable in her own skin. This ideal had been seen very little, let alone on the cover of a fashion magazine. This concept of everyone is beautiful, is something that McQueen intertwined into his shows and all garments: putting restrictions on almost nothing.
We all like to think that we agree that is everyone is beautiful. But in the real world, do we act upon this? Do we truly believe this? Do you yourself ever leave the house without any make-up on? Because trust me, without it, you look no different. You forget, until your reflection reminds you. On the inside, you’re still the same person. So no matter how much you think Kim K is perfect, just remember that she has had more done to her face than I’ve had hot dinners, and the amount of make up she wears in one day would last me a whole year. But, she is beautiful and so are you.