"Beauty, Like War" My 2009 series of photographs is an exploration of the damaging impact of societal expectations on our perception of beauty. I called this body of work 'Beauty, Like War' because it seemed to me that we are constantly at war with ourselves over these impossible standards. To create these images, I deliberately corrupted them - I changed them in ways that were meant to make them unrecognizable from their original form. This may seem like the opposite approach to creating something beautiful, but what I've found is that as the changes to the image grew more distorted, so too did its beauty. The trauma and degradation inflicted upon these images led me to reevaluate my preconceived notions about beauty. They made me realize that what we call 'beauty' is nothing less than a social construct designed to control us. And yet, while each change can be seen as an assault on the image's original integrity, it's undeniable that they've become more beautiful in their distorted forms. I'm no longer content with accepting the beauty standards imposed upon me by society. I want to subvert them and challenge my own perception of what makes something beautiful. In this way, 'Beauty, Like War' is not only a visual representation of the struggle against societal norms, but also a personal statement about embracing the beauty in my own brokenness."