Imperfections

This body of work, titled Imperfections, explores the human body and the imperfections that are often associated with it. This subject led to the theme of this photographic series: the female body image, and more specifically how the ideals of our society affect the standards of women all ages. I am focusing on my model’s opinion of what is imperfect about herself. Before I photograph someone, I ask what part(s) of her body she is insecure about, I then center my photographs around these insecurities. I chose to show the photographs in black and white because I feel it gives the body of work a sense of universality and uniformity. The red thread I use to stitch the photos stands out against the monochrome image. I am using the thread to “correct” the body. Because the changes the subject would want to make to her own body may not be apparent to the viewer, I decided to use the thread to make it more defined. I am using red thread because I associate the color red with correction. Growing up, teachers always corrected papers in red pen, and anytime I see the color red I see something that needs to be fixed. With the pattern of my stitches, I am hoping to allude to cosmetic surgery because it is one of the many ways women can modify their bodies. The women in my photographs are already modifying their bodies by using Spanx, duct tape, and their own hands, and the stitching enhance this sense of modification