In a digital age filled with Fortnite skins, Meta avatars and Bitmojis, there is a cultural longing for raw human experiences. Flesh and bodies can be hard to find in an online space that encourages us to exist digitally rather than in our physical forms.
These photo stories capture this physicality, with intimate and personal stories underpinning each one. Whether stepping backstage, pulling back the curtains, or observing from the sidelines, we visit a pit of glitter-clad limbs at a Manchester queer rave, browse a curated selection of vagina wigs, and experience a face-painting session in a Berlin garage. Here are five beauty galleries that invite us to reflect on the complexities of the human experience in all its messy, sweaty, and fleshy glory.
Merkins by Pablo Kuemin10 Images
Known also as the kitty carpet, fur bikini, or downstairs toupee, the vagina wig – professionally referred to as a merkin – is the subject of this shoot by Pablo Kuemin. The Swiss hairstylist and wig extraordinaire first encountered a merkin in a sex shop in Tokyo, where he was inspired to create his own. “The beauty of it to create something that’s never really been done before and stepping into an area people normally don’t talk about makes me always excited,” Kuemin says. “Hair for me has no boundaries.”
Aftershow in Vegas16 Images
Playing with the trashier side of glamour, photographer Scarlett Carlos Clarke and make-up artist Grace Ellington collaborate in Aftershow in Vegas to give a gritty look at what happens after the curtain falls. Drawing inspiration from cult classics like Cabaret and Showgirls, they create bold make-up looks with a dirtier twist. “I wanted the make-up to be beautiful and make the models look stunning but in a slightly unkempt, cinematic way, like you might not want to touch it,” explains Ellington.
Mistress Eva by Hazel Gaskin15 Images
Exploring her changing relationship with make-up, dominatrix Mistress Eva shows us what’s beneath her hard exterior as she stars in this intimate shoot by Hazel Gaskin. For Mistress Eva, make-up is not about self-expression; instead, it serves as a polished façade – an extension of her work rather than a reflection of her true self. She explains, ”It’s almost as if I see make-up as more of a costume – and not necessarily something that touches my inner identity or sense of self.” This series examines the complex relationship between appearance and self-perception, tracing Mistress Eva’s journey from childhood views of beauty to her current role as a professional dominatrix.
The Manc Gala, May 202320 Images
Exposed nipples, pink ski masks, fur coats, sheer rhinestone mesh and leather harnesses – anything goes at the Manc Gala, a tacky, trashy disco-rave reimagining of the MET Gala in Manchester. Held in the gothic halls of the Deaf Institute, the rave highlights the voices of trans+, non-binary and POC artists through music, art and performance. “There wasn’t just one version of glam, one dress code, one aesthetic, one look. Some people wore only a harness, jockstrap and smudged eyeliner, while others showed up in a tiara, full make-up and a floor-length dress,” says photographer Meka Goulding.
Bringing the playfulness back to beauty, Janina Zais, hair stylist, make-up artist and body painter teams up with photographer Peter Kaaden to show that Disney doesn’t always mean dismal. “The fashion and beauty industry can sometimes be too serious and that’s not for me. I like it when it’s cute, funny and a bit creepy,” says Zais. The shoot concept developed from a desire to do something different from the everyday beauty looks Kaaden got pitched. Doing exactly that, the shoot sees classic Disney characters painted onto the faces of torso-baring men shot in a dimly lit garage in Berlin.
