This digital photograph challenges western perceptions of feminine beauty with a faceless portrait. A composited flower obscures the unique features of the face, creating anonymity at the same time as representing an interpretation of divine beauty. Flowers are incorporated into ritual and sacrament the world over, as symbols of eros, beauty, perfection, fertility, joy and resurrection. The flower is subtly flawed and encompasses wabi sabi, an eastern philosophy of beauty as imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. The subject wears a sheer blouse with an inelegant brassier, contradicting current ideals of feminine aesthetics.
Globally, beauty trends differ according to culture, as a result of these trends, some lasting centuries and embedding themselves into cultures, it can be argued that beauty is dependent on culture and time. However, there is one concept of beauty that transcends these variables and that is the concept of divine beauty.
The specific aim of this image is to depict beauty as divine and offer an understanding of where feminine aesthetics are positioned in 21st century.
