RESEARCH & CRITICAL WRITING

URL/IRL BEAUTY: Defining & Designing Contemporary Intersections of Beauty, Social Media, and Screen Technology

MFA Thesis | ArtCenter College of Design | Media Design Practices | 2017

This​ project​ explores the​ ​spaces​ ​of​ ​beauty​ ​technology,​ ​screen​ ​media,​ and​ ​social​ ​media in both digital or URL environments (URL standing for Unicode Resource Language ultimately indicating an online presence) as well as in-real-life (IRL) applications. Additionally, the project ​ interrogates these spaces through​ ​the​ ​lenses​ ​of​ ​feminist​ ​design​ ​and​ ​pop-culture​ ​analysis, aiming ​to​ ​understand​ the feminist roots of beauty technology​. Overall, this project is intended to help readers understand how technological engagements with beauty are not manifestations of vanity, but expressions of agency. Thought my​ ​analysis​ ​ exemplifies​ ​beauty​ ​as a​ ​form​ ​of​ ​power​ ​in​ ​a​ ​capitalist​ ​society, beauty’s overall cultural value lies in its ability to enable individuals autonomy over their own bodies.