Tuesday 23 February 2010

Mr Toledano - A New Kind of Beauty

I’m interested in what we define as beauty, when we choose to create it ourselves.
Beauty has always been a currency, and now that we finally have the technological means to mint our own, what choices do we make?
Is beauty informed by contemporary culture? By history? Or is it defined by the surgeon’s hand? Can we identify physical trends that vary from decade to decade, or is beauty timeless?
When we re-make ourselves, are we revealing our true character, or are we stripping away our very identity?
Perhaps we are creating a new kind of beauty. An amalgam of surgery, art, and popular culture? And if so, are the results the vanguard of human induced evolution?
This is a unique time. While the technology exists to truly re-imagine ourselves, it’s not perfect. And until it is, a new species of human is being created. And not unlike the Neaderthal, they will co-exist with Homo Sapiens for a short while, before disappearing into history.
Mr. Toledano

How far is too far when it comes to making our bodies match with our own conceptions of beauty? Socio-political photographer Phillip Toledano has captured an array of men and women whose bodies are their art, and use plastic surgery to achieve what they feel is their own masterpiece. From facelifts to breast augmentations, Mr. Toledano captures each of his subjects and raises questions about self-perception, societal paragons, and what it means to be beautiful.

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