DO I FIT IN YET?

“Do I Fit in Yet?” is a question many young college women ask themselves everyday. I examine the societal pressures that women experience in a desire to be accepted in society as “beautiful”. My staged self- portraits suggest an absurd, yet painful, reference to Western beautification. Many young women, myself included, work extremely hard to keep up with fashion trends and American beauty standards, often depicted through the advertising industry and media representations of women. These efforts are often, to my belief, psychologically damaging. I explore the physical and mental pain that occurs while some women strive to “fit in.” Ideally, I am hoping to inspire young women to evaluate the potentially damaging effects of “trying” to accomplish these beauty standards. I am hoping they might realize these actions are not necessary to feel beautiful as a human being. Lastly, I want men to understand the pain that women go through to be seen as “pretty.”