Anjum 1 Sharmeen Anjum September 22 2014 Elizabeth Chakkappan Integrative Fake Seminar First Draft Beauty Myth The subject of my photos series is Maria Elena Nenkov. Through the assigned project I got the chance to get to know aspects of Maria that I otherwise would have never known and photograph her in different states throughout our meeting. Maria arrived wearing a dark leather jacket over a beautiful leopard dress, shiny high knee black boots, and was carrying a marvelous clutch with brilliant blue faux fur. She also had done her own makeup and nails, perfectly sculpted thick black liner on her eyes with peachy lips and various colors on her fingers, which automatically made me assume she is very deliberate and conscious about her appearance. Captivated by the details to her strong beauty look I asked her questions about her decisions with her appearance and Maria started to tell me about her personal life and what she experienced growing up regarding her aesthetic. As I was asking her questions, one topic that instantly took my interest was when Maria mentioned how she used to wear a lot of makeup when she was younger because her school prohibited it and how applying makeup subconsciously affected her and made her feel a sort of acceptance by friends and strangers. Maria also disclosed with me how with age her attitude changed and how her cosmetic routine was not as important to her. I was getting the sense that Maria has been influenced by our patriarchal society that we currently live in by our conversation. In relation to Naomi Wolf’s discussion of gender from “ The Beauty Myth,” Maria’s situation, of how she used cosmetics to feel Anjum 2 accepted in her younger life, goes with the notion of how there is a “secret “underlife: poising our freedom: infused with notions of beauty.” 1 She felt the need to enhance herself to feel accepted in our society that corresponds directly with the beauty myth and how women feel like they have to live up to a standard of beauty. Nevertheless, her new changed view directly contradicted this myth and proved that the feminine mystique we all face does not define her individual life. Anjum 3 Naomi Wolf, The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women (New York: Morrow, 1991) 9-10. 1