Beauty is complicated. At times it can seem amorphous, yet at other times it can feel too rigidly defined. It’s alluring yet exclusionary; elevating and subjugating. Its codes, conventions and, above all, its contradictions, make beauty an eternally compelling concept for photographers. 

Below, we revisit five photo books by women exploring beauty and body image from different photographic angles, ranging from competitive modelling pageants in Italy to Black cotillion debutante balls in the US. Whether capturing women in rare, unguarded, unselfconscious moments or highlighting toxic beauty standards, the throughline between these photo books is their engagement with beauty as a force that touches all our lives in various ways. 

HARLEY WEIR, BEAUTY PAPERS

In Beauty Papers (published by Beauty Papers Ltd), photographer Harley Weir seeks to expose the unattainable beauty standards present in modern society. Dedicated to “all the dolls in the world”, the book features numerous portraits and images mocking the extreme beauty ideals imposed upon women. Weir’s images distort perceived “perfections” – capturing sex doll models contorted into unnatural positions and hung upside down, bound to the artist with rope.  In one particular shot, Weir’s own face is covered by a hyperreal prosthetic mask – a nod to the falsity of social media’s increasingly unattainable beauty standards. Weir’s photo book subverts these expectations, instead focusing on the beauty of realism. “I think there’s something in the grotesque,” she told Dazed, “and something in uniqueness.”

Read the full story here.

MIRANDA BARNES, SOCIAL SEASON

The Cotillion Society of Detroit’s Black debutante ball is an annual event – a coming-of-age tradition celebrating the beauty of youth and culture. Documented over four years by photographer Miranda Barnes, Social Season (published by MACK and Sofia Coppola’s imprint Important Flowers) explores this special night’s importance to the youth community of Detroit and the building anticipation leading up to it. Barnes captures the elegant gowns, tiaras and suits worn during the cotillion – showing the collective pride and flourishing beauty of the community. 

Despite the associations of debutante balls with archaic patriarchal traditions of the past, Barnes notes how the cotillions are instead more likened to “a prom or a party – a coming-of-age ritual rather than [young women] being presented to polite society in any real way”.  Barnes further adds how “Black cotillions are education-based,” where attendees reflect on their achievements and discuss the promising futures ahead of them, unrestricted by previous societal ideals.

Read the full story here.

Social Season by Miranda Barnes is published by MACK and Important Flowers and is available here now.

ABBIE TRAYLER-SMITH, KISS IT!

Kiss It! follows Shannon, a young woman from Sheffield living with obesity over the span of 12 years. Captured by Abbie Trayler-Smith, the book explores Shannon’s struggle with confidence and body image, both internally and in a wider, judgmental society. Trayler-Smith comments on societal stereotypes around weight, reflecting on her own experiences with body image, “Others saw only my imperfect body, not the fact that I was funny and clever and warm.” Trayler-Smith aims to reshape and challenge these stereotypes – focusing on Shannon’s persona and identity rather than defining her by her body. Whether laughing in her prom dress or holidaying in Spain, these portraits encapsulate Shannon’s beauty and blossoming journey of self-love, battling against society’s stigmas around weight.

Read the full story here.

CARLA ROSSI, BELLISSIMA

Carla Rossi’s Bellissima explores how beauty is manufactured in a culture still shaped by patriarchal ideals. Photographing aspiring Italian model Rebecca, Rossi captures the contrast between Rebecca’s self-expression and the rigid beauty expectations imposed on her. Portraits of Rebecca dancing in her kitchen and posing playfully in casual dress show her youthful energy and freedom when away from the restrictions of the pageants. Rossi juxtaposes these high-definition shots with grainy archival footage from Miss Italia shows, emphasising how beauty can be enacted as a kind of performance.

Carla Rossi’s Bellissima is published by Art Paper Editions and available here.

GRETA ILIEVA, ROOMS

Greta Ilieva’s Rooms captures the serenity and intimacy of women alone and nude in their bedrooms. In an interview with AnOther last year, Ilieva reflected how, “at home, nudity was open, accepted, and part of everyday life,” allowing her to become unfazed by the customary discomforts associated with the naked body. Photographs of nude women in Ilieva’s life are interwoven with images of their empty bedrooms, exploring the freedom of one’s own environment. Ilieva’s portraits are unposed and authentic – a refreshing release from the endless stream of toxic body image expectations strewn over social media. Ilieva does not hide from nudity, and instead embraces the beauty and uniqueness of the female body.

Greta Ilieva’s Rooms is published by Pigeoness and is available here now.