Beauty Calibrator is an ongoing project based on archives of early twentieth-century beauty treatments and Hollywood beauty standards shaped by Max Factor, who also invented the Beauty Calibrator, a device used to measure women’s faces and correct supposed imperfections. The images I collect show women interacting with strange machines and treatments designed to reshape their appearance according to an imposed ideal, often resembling science fiction torture devices. These images oscillate between fascination, absurdity, and violence.
Today, these ideals continue through filters, cosmetic procedures, skincare routines, and social media trends. Using self-portraits and photomontages, I combine historical imagery with my own archive to explore how images of femininity continue to circulate, repeat themselves, and evolve over time.