Artist Statement

Singular Beauty: In 1907 Charles Miller wrote the first how-to book on Beauty Surgery. The volume was largely dismissed by the mainstream medical community as fringe medicine, however, this one time “quackery” has evolved into a 15 billion dollar-a-year industry in the United States. Why has it flourished? According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeon’s website, “Even a small change on the outside can create an extraordinary change on the inside, allowing an individuals self-confidence to flourish.” Cosmetic surgery is now a common, if still stigmatized, part of our culture. When you enter the offices of Cosmetic Surgeons you not only discover the promise of happiness but also the fear, self-loathing, anxiety, and desire of millions of Americans. This collection of photographs, resulted from both a personal struggle with body issues, and a long history in the beauty business. While photographing these doctor’s offices, I was less interested in capturing the actual place or thing, than in capturing the experience of it, and in the words Susan Sontag make, “familiar things small, abstract, strange and much farther away.” Because it is our emotions, which have the deepest impact on our intellects.