Liz Barr: Body Images: Photography, Technology and Beauty Culture

Liz Barr, 2024, softcover, 68 pages, 14 x 21.6 cm

“Body Images” explores how photography, editing, and publishing technologies have influenced beauty culture from 1839 through the present day. From the manual retouching processes of the 19th century to the instantaneous beauty filters of the 21st century, how has photo-editing shaped the way we see ourselves and each other? Do manipulated photos warp our perception of reality? Do un-manipulated photos exist? Has the ubiquity of digital photography and publishing platforms exacerbated our insecurities, or helped to expand our ideas of beauty? Liz Barr grapples with these questions while providing historical context to our contemporary anxieties.