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The Reflective Steps of Splendid Visuals (Artist Statement)

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The Reflective Steps of Splendid Visuals is a digital image that explores many women's fear of fleeting beauty. At the ripe age of twenty with a tretinoin prescription and a daily collagen supplement, I look back on fourth grade. Fourth grade was one of the first times I remember looking at a classmate and wishing I looked like them. This became a trend at the same time I began browsing social media, leading to an endless cycle of working on myself. After some reflection, I have decided to take unique steps toward self-love. With a gua sha in one hand and a knife in the other. The schoolgirl fantasized, rosy-cheeked woman is grasping at the tools of beauty. The gua sha initially used in traditional Chinese medicine became a trend on Tik-Tok, taking the platform by storm with its ability to cure your double chin. Though this piece is not meant to highlight the manipulation of consumerism but rather the feminine urge to create your perfect self. The urge to complete a never-ending cycle of trial and error in search of bliss. Simply put, I want to be selfish. Like a gua sha that can morph you into a model, a knife can finely chop carrots with the right skills. This obsession with beauty tools, eye creams, and serums takes up time, ultimately leading to obsession. You must stare down the barrel of self-love to achieve unattainable beauty. You must be selfish.

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