In this brand new exclusive from photographer Nastia Cloutier-Ignatiev titled ‘Golden Obsession‘ we explore what true beauty is, why it’s an issue in today’s society and why the industry and media obsess over making us feel imperfect.
“Lately, I have seen a lot of art about body acceptance and the excesses of surgery. I think it is important for artists to use their medium to talk about issues. One of the questions I am most often asked is: what makes good art according to you?” says Nastia, “I think that the creative process behind an image is what makes art good. I don’t like images that are pretty for pretty’s sake. For me, art is successful when it is inspired by an idea, an elaborate concept or a story. However, I tire of seeing the same kind of images showing oversized women holding a Barbie or a beautiful model with surgery lines on her face.”. Nastia believes that women must discuss the implications of media messages about perfection and standards of beauty within everyday life. She has asked her followers how does the media change their vision of beauty or the beauty they are made to believe is what they should aspire to. She received tons of comments & responses across different cultures and all ages on the subject., and to her, the responses to her question just suggest that size and plastic surgery are not the only issues in the constructed notion of female perfection that concern women, there are so many more. This shoot exclusively for NAKID is Inspired by both her personal experiences and by responses from her followers. She created fictitious statements, essentially putting words to what the media says women should look like, as well as who they should be and what they should do. The shoot overall represents a simple statement from the artist she believes is the general statement the theme embodies, “You have to look expensive. If not people won’t like you.“. With that statement she created images exaggerating those realities. By making a parody out of what women are told are the measures of beauty in our culture, she hopes that we recognize the absurdity of these messages and shift our understanding of perfection. Nastia does not believe the external sources should decide what beauty is or isn’t; she believes that women should be able to have their own vision of beauty, encumbered by the media or the industry.
See more of Nastia Cloutier-Ignatiev work here: WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM
Credits:
Models: Victoria-Rose @ and Talissa from Folio Montreal
Makeup Artist: Emy Filteau from Folio Artists
Styling by: Haley MacCosham
Nails by Megan from Trippy Nails
