Understanding the motivations, reasons why, and what cosmetic surgery procedures individuals undergo will help during the design process of this look. The primary research with the views and opinions of the participants will be a major contributing factor as well.
Kita (2020) claims that “perhaps since the beginning of time, human beings have been actively engaged in the pursuit of self-improvement”. The first recorded cosmetic surgeries took place in 16th century Britain and Europe and according to Smith (2016), the origins lie in part in the correction of syphilitic deformities and racialized ideas about healthy and acceptable facial features. Shifting views illustrate how beauty standards change across time and place. The 1960s and 1970s are when modern plastic surgery started to take shape with the newly created substance silicone and over the next decade, silicone implants were made and developed for just about every part of the face and body. In the 2000,s there has been an explosion of popularity particularly with injectable substances such as wrinkle fillers, and Botox (Kita, 2020).
Social media over the last 10 years has changed the way we think about ourselves, filtering and editing photos using multiple apps causes a dissociation between the reality of what we look like and what we want to look like. (TJL solicitors, 2020). Vandervort et al (2015) suggest that many adults are dissatisfied with their bodies and that their dissatisfaction constitutes the main motive for change for both men and women of all ages and that women and young adults are under the impression that changing their appearance will make them more comfortable in their own skin.
This look is predominantly being created for editorial purposes and is to demonstrate changing the model’s look and not as a character design for film and television. Although this kind of use of prosthetics has been used before like Alexis Stone who fooled their fans by the application of facial prosthetics to appear as though they had undergone plastic surgery to change their appearance (video 1). And the musician Weeknd. (Figure 3).
Another example of changing an actor’s face is Charlize Theron in the film bombshell (2019). Video 2 Explains the process. Interestingly though they only had six weeks to create the prosthetics preproduction and according to the film’s director, Jay Roach, the look created was so realistic the film’s lawyers had to add a disclaimer at the start of the film stating that the footage was an actor and not the person they were portraying. (Phillips, Thallon, 2020).
Creating realism is going to be challenging as the intention is not to depict surgery that has gone wrong or has been overdone by choice but to change the model face using face tape (figure 4), cheek and lip prosthetics, and clever application of make-up to change their appearance. There is no intention to claim that these are facial improvements, as the make-up artist does not want to cause offense to the model, as they have no professional qualifications to determine what would be considered perfection in facial enhancements and this would need to be determined by a cosmetic surgeon. The look to be created is the make-up artist’s interpretation of changing the models ‘appearance ‘in line with the primary research undertaken and helping to represent the major projects topic question “why do humans feel the need to change their appearance?”
It is still yet to be decided how big the areas the makeup artist will sculpt to change the models’ appearance but the makeup artist will use skills learned from sculpting the alien eyes in level 5 (Figure ?) and enhance these skills concentrating on mimicking the models’ skin texture. The colouring process should be easier as the colours used previously are known to the makeup artist.
The areas of improvement that the makeup artist needs to be aware of is the encapsulating process as this was visible around the edges of the prosthetics in her previous work.
References
Kita, N (2020). The history of plastic surgery [Online]. Available at https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-history-of-plastic-surgery-2710193. (Accessed 19 January 2022).
Phillips, I and Thallon, C (2020).’ Bombshell’ won the Oscar for best makeup and hairstyling. Here’s how Charlize Theron transformed into Megyn Kelly [Online]. Available at https://www.insider.com/charlize-theron-megyn-kelly-bombshell-best-makeup-hairstyling-oscars-2020-2. (Accessed 10 January 2022).
Smith, M (2016). The ugly history of cosmetic surgery [Online]. Available at https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/the-ugly-history-of-cosmetic-surgery-a7072216.html. (Accessed 19 January 2022).
TJL Solicitors (2020). When did cosmetic surgery become a common practice? [Online]. Available at https://www.cosmeticsurgerysolicitors.co.uk/news/when-did-cosmetic-surgery-become-common-practice#:~:text=Cosmetic%20procedures%20were%20first%20performed,breast%20enlargement%20using%20silicone%20implants. (Accessed 19 January 2022).
Vandervoort, J., Aime, A and Green-Demers,I (2015). The monster in the mirror: reasons for wanting to change appearance [Online]. Available at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25355430/. (Accessed 10 January 2022).
Figures reference list
Figure 1-Bhasin, S (2021). Know the types, benefits, side effects and costs. [Online]. Available at: https://www.carewellmedicalcentre.com/blog/cosmetic-surgery-types-benefits-side-effects-and-cost/. (Accessed 7 January 2022).
Figure 2-Freepik (2022). Woman – -looking – Mirror – from – view. [Online]. Available at: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/woman-looking-mirror-from-view_8047459.htm. (Accessed 7 January 2022).
Figure 3-DeNinno, N (2021). Secrets of The Weeknd’s face: from bloody horror to’ surgery’ shocker [Online]. Available at https://nypost.com/article/the-weeknds-face-from-bloody-horror-to-surgery-shocker/. (Accessed 19 January 2022).
Figure 4-EBay (2022). Instant facelift tape [Online]. Available at https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403368000075?chn=ps&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1clf-9FOpSECK11n9uzKqCQ59&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&itemid=403368000075&targetid=1596500856229&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=1006743&poi=&campaignid=15278604175&mkgroupid=135429446288&rlsatarget=pla-1596500856229&abcId=9300698&merchantid=511600881&gclid=Cj0KCQiA3-yQBhD3ARIsAHuHT64BUTdax9W1q3Jz60jCiMJjgSDoVvpsLKGcx0ySl_eZ8VRStSQtkNYaAivkEALw_wcB. (Accessed 19 January 2022).
Videos reference list.
Video one-The Transformation | Alexis Stone (2019) YouTube video, added by Alexis Stone [Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNEsvojwWWg. (Accessed 20 January 2022).
Video two-How Charlize Theron transformed into Megyn Kelly for’ Bombshell’ (2020) YouTube video, added by Insider [Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNkaFQvjo8o (Accessed 20 January 2022).