Generation loss
I’m interested in how companies, particularly those in the beauty and health industries, marketed their products to women in the 1980’s and 1990’s. With the advent of home video, women were given the opportunity to learn the tips and tricks that only the most beautiful were previously afforded. Makeup application tutorials, hair styling videos, and aerobics tapes were in abundance during this time. Many of these tapes were watched once and then discarded, only to be replaced by the next beauty fad. Using my collection of VHS tapes I began a process duplication, copying multiple segments 15 to 20 times. The delicate nature of the medium is revealed by the degraded imagery, and becomes a metaphor for the abuse women endure over their own physical appearance and the impermanence of beauty over time.
Copyright Emily Sarten 2019