Beauty Unattainable  Sbongile Mabasa

by Sbongile Mabasa

My exhibition confronts the mental effects of beauty standards promoted through the Snapchat App. This work explores the psychological effects that are caused by exposure to Snapchat and the beauty standards that it advertises. One of my influences is Fiona Borsi, her blending of human and animal characteristics in her work, and this relates to my idea of changing yourself into something that would not be associated with a human face. The photographs highlight how the relentless pursuit of unattainable beauty can distort self-perception and lead to a loss of identity, particularly among young people. Through my work, I want to evoke a sense of discomfort in the viewer, not only because of the presented images but also because of an uncomfortable feeling towards this concept of beauty standards.

I specifically work with my phone as the Snapchat app is relevant to cell phones. I use it to edit or create the image distortion that I desire for this project by experimenting with different filters and warping the faces of my models. I express the loss of identity through my process in which I continuously apply a specific filter to my models’ original images, probing the process of change and the warping of the face. This body of work aims to express information about Snapchat filters, and to find the way(s) in which the (constant) use of these filters can affect the perception of oneself; to shed a light on the mental issues that Snapchat and its beauty standards lead to in the youth.