Pretty Please
“The construction of femininity through fashion trends and beauty routines is an ongoing exploration throughout my work. This series of photographic self- portraits intends to emphasize and question the outlandish and nonsensical nature of ‘feminine’ objects and traditions – everything from hairstyles to body modification – the purpose of which is to shape and alter the authentic female form, and maintain a firm grasp on an otherwise fleeting youth. Through the ironic and overindulgent use of these oddities, I aim to draw attention to their absurdity and the barrier they create between the woman subscribing to them, and the outside world. This work intends to draw attention to these objects in a humorous and satirical way, allowing us to identify the absurd notion of the ideal female.”
– Allison Morris
Photographer
Allison Morris is a fine art photographer living and working in the Greater Toronto Area. She has exhibited in Toronto, Ontario and Florence, Italy. She is currently completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography at the Ontario College of Art and Design University, and spent her third year of study abroad as part of OCADU’s Off-Campus Florence program in Italy.
Allison’s artistic practice explores themes of female representation, the construction of femininity, beauty, youth, identity,and performance from a feminist perspective. She uses self-portraiture as a tool with which she can control her images and challenge the idea of the male gaze by consciously performing for the camera and herself.