Hairless, Please
Hairless, Please
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GUP Author
Editorial team
You have undoubtedly all heard of the famous Polish fashion photographer; Peter Lindbergh. The master of black and white fashion photographs: a scarce phenomenon today. Starting at the age of 27 with his interest in film and photography, he developed a personal style by which he manages to capture the imperfections of his models, rather than hiding them and creating an unrealistic image that few can live up to, something that is common in fashion campaigns today.
An unbelievably beautiful photograph taken of model Berri Smither is a classic example of Lindbergh’s talent to embrace the imperfections of the skin to portray character and purity. Smither has a wonderfully angular face with sun-kissed freckles, which clearly helps her stand out. The honesty with which she is photographed accentuates her mysterious beauty.
Today we seemed to have abandoned this ideal and moved instead to the robot, meaning we admire smooth skin, a hairless body and little that is honest and human. This is common in the current style of photography that swamps us in 2011. The models of today are so perfect and robot-like that it is impossible to relate to them. How did this happen? We, as a society, started craving for better and more beautiful. We decided we were no longer satisfied and started striving for the unthinkable, and look where we have ended now; in a digital world, where everyone exists online, every photograph has been digitally manipulated to portray ourselves, brands and campaigns in the most unrealistic way imaginable.
“Determined smoothness in both sexes, but especially in men, indicates modernity, good manners and a willingness to put the good in the shop window for frank inspection. The truth loves to go naked, said that old French philosopher, and hair anywhere but on the head raises the suspicion that the wearer has something to hide; its like beards but on the bod. Yuk! Go on, do the world a favour!” says Julie Churchill, The Guardian.
