Vasilisa Rodionova

My project “Sculpting Identity: Beauty Under Construction” explores looksmaxxing as a reflection of a society in which beauty has become synonymous with productivity, discipline, and continuous self-improvement. It questions how social media and contemporary beauty culture encourage individuals to internalise unrealistic aesthetic standards, transforming the body into a site of constant optimisation. Every perceived imperfection becomes a project to fix, while every improvement reveals another flaw requiring attention. As a result, the ideal body is never achieved—it is endlessly pursued.

Through photography, the body is presented as a site of reconstruction using surgical markings, compression materials, plastic wrapping, and bandages to symbolise the hidden labour behind beauty. Rather than celebrating transformation, the project questions whether looksmaxxing empowers individuals or perpetuates a culture in which perfection remains permanently unattainable and identity is continuously under construction.