These images present a visualization of the ways in which, over time, we decorate and alter our forms and succumb to wanting to control how we're perceived. Throughout our lives we adjust our physicality and digital presence to present who we want to be and who we are inside.

This series play into themes of body, self, and expression. Inspired by Shylock’s infamous request in Shakespeare’s A Merchant of Venice, I imagined the body as a “pound of flesh,” presenting a timeline as the subject is molded through different physical stages.

I was also largely inspired by a Tracy Cox poem in which she writes, “Your weight fluctuations, in every iteration, are deeply human, and absolutely devoid of moral implication.” This poem really spoke to me, as I've always had a complicated relationship with my body and sense of self. To be able to interpret and analyze these feelings visually, thinking of my body as piece of clay that I can mold and change throughout my life, felt like a creative release.

Allowing the model to style herself, the subject becomes an exaggerated representation of her own inner sense of self. The last image is a flux of Facetune, speaking to how we express ourselves on social media.

Modeled by Anna Dewhirst