6. Blonds Have More Fun!
Self-portrait as Marilyn
Many of my works have to do with masquerading or embodying someone else, whether it is obvious or just suggested.
In this work titled ‘Blonds Have More Fun!’ I reference Marilyn Monroe and use her attributes; bleached blond hair, red lips, etc. to express what I feel is a sickness in society; obsession with beauty, ideals of beauty, pursuit for perfection and body modification.
Marilyn’s success came with her change of identity — changing her name to Marilyn Monroe and formulating her ‘signature look’ of blond hair and red lips; she became the sex symbol and created the typecast of a ‘dumb blond’. She had also gone through plastic surgery to enhance her look further.
It is apparent to us now that Marilyn Monroe had little control of her life, she struggled with inner demons and addiction to drugs, and her death at the early age of 36 was suspected to be a suicide.
I afflict on myself the changes necessary to become an ‘Ideal beauty’; by bleaching my hair blond, styling it, taking out my piercings, applying makeup, and finalising the transformation by changing the colour of my eyes from brown to blue, something I fantasied about since I was a young girl.
* Spacial thanks to Stav Yosha for cinematography/camera operation.
In this work titled ‘Blonds Have More Fun!’ I reference Marilyn Monroe and use her attributes; bleached blond hair, red lips, etc. to express what I feel is a sickness in society; obsession with beauty, ideals of beauty, pursuit for perfection and body modification.
Marilyn’s success came with her change of identity — changing her name to Marilyn Monroe and formulating her ‘signature look’ of blond hair and red lips; she became the sex symbol and created the typecast of a ‘dumb blond’. She had also gone through plastic surgery to enhance her look further.
It is apparent to us now that Marilyn Monroe had little control of her life, she struggled with inner demons and addiction to drugs, and her death at the early age of 36 was suspected to be a suicide.
I afflict on myself the changes necessary to become an ‘Ideal beauty’; by bleaching my hair blond, styling it, taking out my piercings, applying makeup, and finalising the transformation by changing the colour of my eyes from brown to blue, something I fantasied about since I was a young girl.
* Spacial thanks to Stav Yosha for cinematography/camera operation.