#1 March 19th, 2010 02:12 PM

Folly

Member

A New Kind of Beauty

ISM shows us the array of modern beauty.  I thought some might find this
photography series  by Phillip Toledano interesting.  The subjects have all modified their own features through plastic surgery, and the result is...eerie, perhaps even unsettling.  Too strange to imagine a world where we all conform to the plastic surgery norm and where these faces would abound.
I find that these pictures have a strange texture to them, the subjects definitely look like dolls, but their skin looks alomst clay like.  They remind me of claymation figurines.

veronicaf

Member

Re: A New Kind of Beauty

BRING ON GENETIC MODIFICATION AND NANITES! 

So this is a topic I absolutely love because there is such a huge area to cover and it's something my partner and I discuss on a fairly regular basis. 
My personal belief (or hope really) is that this idea of a common standard of beauty will eventually cease to exist.  When the technology to change your body like you change your clothes eventually becomes viable (though I'm not saying this will be soon) will people still match their look to current trends and 'dress' to impress other members of the community? 

I would like to think that after we have had our wave of Barbie and Ken clones people will have become well and truly sick of the same old same old and will move onto far more creative embodiments of self.  Why do I have to have only one pair of legs and hair on my head?  Why can't I be just a whirling swarm of atoms, or a 10 legged 5 armed blue scaled lizard?  It's gonna be awesome!

Last edited by veronicaf (March 19th, 2010 03:34 PM)

veronicaf

Member

Re: A New Kind of Beauty

And might I add H+ ftw!

mette

Member

Re: A New Kind of Beauty

Well, I think that it is quite interesting and I dont mind it one bit! :-) I really see no problem in people modifying their body to something, they percieve as beautiful eventhough it may not be ethical in the eyes of others... My only limitation is that what you do, can not hurt anyone else - human or animal!

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kohen

Member

Re: A New Kind of Beauty

Those people start to look alien.  I prefer natural beauty and when more and more people start getting plastic surgery, the few who don't will be diamonds in the rough to me.

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ngaio

Member

Re: A New Kind of Beauty

I would like to think that after we have had our wave of Barbie and Ken clones people will have become well and truly sick of the same old same old and will move onto far more creative embodiments of self.  Why do I have to have only one pair of legs and hair on my head?  Why can't I be just a whirling swarm of atoms, or a 10 legged 5 armed blue scaled lizard?  It's gonna be awesome!

I can't help but think that people tend to be so sheeplike that even when the 10 legged 5 armed blue scaled lizard thing happens... 500 other people will do it too.

But yeah, the idea of plastic surgery etc moving away from conformity to rigid, boring beauty ideals and moving more into the realm of body modification as art is a fun one.

Personally though, I have to work hard enough at being comfortable in the skin I'm already in... I don't want to have to work hard at learning to be comfortable with an entirely new skin!

chebab

Member

Re: A New Kind of Beauty

Personally though, I have to work hard enough at being comfortable in the skin I'm already in... I don't want to have to work hard at learning to be comfortable with an entirely new skin!

I have to totally agree with you on this point Ngaio, i find it hard enough to look at myself and be comfortable with what i have to offer, let alone trying to create a physical, new version of myself and be happy with that.
Why not simply spend the time, energy and MONEY on making myself happy as i am, not how i might be.

ngaio

Member

Re: A New Kind of Beauty

Why not simply spend the time, energy and MONEY on making myself happy as i am, not how i might be.

That's exactly it, isn't it. Making ourselves over costs a lot of money and that's ultimately why we're kept so dissatisfied with our bodies... because if cosmetic companies, surgeries, fashion etc keeps us unhappy in our own skin, we'll keep spending money on their magical products.

I'm digressing, I think!

veronicaf

Member

Re: A New Kind of Beauty

But the cost is not always going to be the issue.  Are you still going to have this opinion when it costs as little as the bra and undies you wear every day?  You DO make yourself over with the clothes you wear, the brush you pull through your hair and the glasses that help you see ngaio.......so why block out the possibilities in a different formats? 

I personally have not had any purely cosmetic surgery simply because at this stage I feel that the techniques are too crude and I would prefer to wait until I can do it with no pain at all.......(I understand that may involve alot of patience but since I plan to live forever I'm ok with that) but I have no problem with other people doing it if they are ok with the pain and feel they are doing it for the right reasons.

Also once technology is better and the entire process is easier and cheaper why do you feel that you need to be entirely happy with how you look on a particular day?  That would be the fun of it.  With little cost and few negative consequences if something doesnt work out you just fix it.  Wake up in the morning and pick out a new body from your online database.  IT'LL BE AWESOME!

ngaio

Member

Re: A New Kind of Beauty

Well if cost is never an issue and they can do this sort of thing without hacking into my body - if it becomes as cheap as undies and just as easy to put on and take off - then sure, why not! I just don't see it ever becoming that way, is all but if it does...bring it on!

ngaio

Member

Re: A New Kind of Beauty

I'd also just like to clarify something... I do get the point you're making, Veronica, and I'm all for self expression. But actually I spend very little of my income on clothes etc (most of my clothes are either secondhand or given to me and my glasses are covered in scratches and chipped paint!) and this is partly because of my addiction to art supplies but also partly due to a specific attempt not to obssess about my appearance too much.

I do have an obsession with weird spakly things from op shops though, I must admit!

veronicaf

Member

Re: A New Kind of Beauty

oh the sparkles......and a link for the ism-ers to vagazzling......clicketyclick