A high nose bridge, the westerner’s double eyelids, a super slim V-lined chin, a forehead and cheekbones that subtly protrude to make your face look younger and more 3D. These are only some of the facial structures right now that are trending. Yes, trending, because thanks to modern technology, people now have the ability to change what they look like simply by pouring in money and time. All you have to do is look at the menu and ask for a procedure.

Really, I’m all for beauty - after all, I love art - and plastic surgery is a type of art, too ... right? But when things go so far that when our desire for physical beauty turns almost cult-like, it kind of gives me the chills.

Having opened May 21 and running until Nov. 27 at the Annenberg Space for Photography is a feature of hundreds of images from top photographers in the fashion, beauty and pop culture industry that depict this worldwide crazy search for beauty. The Beauty CULTure exhibition explores society’s definition of feminine beauty through works from iconic photographers such as Albert Watson, Bert Stern, Herb Ritts, Man Ray, Jean-Paul Goude and many more. The point is to invoke a massive discussion about the buzz of beauty, the glorification of such beauty and the running force of the multi-billion dollar industry that surrounds it.

The true irony of the exhibit? Well, think about it – photography. Photographs are one of the key players that define beauty, with their still images of beautified and glamorized otherworldly human beings channeled to us through the media.

With that said, this exhibit is ironic, yet significant because this set of photographs of beauty that are daring and perhaps controversial tries to give us an alternate way of looking at this unrealistic desire for beauty. As Wallis Annenberg, the President and CEO of the Annenberg Foundation, states, “As much as beauty can astonish and inspire, it can also corrupt and subvert, rendering all else – and even itself – broken and obsolete. The great contemporary photographers do so much more than chronicle and celebrate what is beautiful in our time. They dig beneath it, they confront our compulsion with it and they turn art’s mirror on ourselves as well.”

The exhibit contains portraits and edits of photographers that depict the all-familiar faces of today’s pop culture, such as Angelina Jolie and Cindy Crawford, and everything else that has to do with the aesthetics of the human body such as pageant culture, the pin-up girl, the Marilyn syndrome, models and many more. Simply put, here you will see the lengths and depths culture and people alike go to define beauty as well as the extremely versatile nature of its definition.

What makes the Annenberg Space for Photography such a perfect venue for such exhibitions is that they also have a digital gallery. Here, there are high-resolution screens that display another hundreds of digital images as well as a short documentary film directed by Lauren Greenfield, an award-winning documentarian. It really is worth watching – yes, even for those who hate documentaries – because it is truly educational and portrays the cult of beauty in an extremely fascinating manner. I refuse to spoil the contents, just because it is that good.

A continuation of many of the great exhibits that convey a variety of human experiences, the Annenberg Foundation and its directors provide us with another compelling set of works that depict one discussion worthy aspect of our diverse culture. Not to mention giving us the opportunity to perceive photographs, but taking a step further and engage us in discussion at a modern venue.

Better yet, general admission to the venue is free so those interested in the glitz and glam of the human physique or maybe photography in general are bound to have a great experience. Even if you are not interested in photography, go for the architecture, because the Annenberg Space for Photography is a perfect example of the clean cut and refined design perfect for galleries, with its metallic tone and spaciousness with just enough decoration that screams modern technology.



Annenberg Space for Photography is located at 2000 Avenue of the Stars, Century City. For more information, visit annenbergspaceforphotography.org.