I chose to personify myself as a tube of lipstick. Women wear lipstick to feel beautiful, it makes them feel confident and sexy. I wear lipstick for the same reasons; when I wear it I feel bold, which is a contrast to my personality on the inside: quiet and shy. So not only does the lipstick itself represent a side of me that comes out when I wear it, but I feel like I am almost a different person when I have a bright red or cool pink on my lip to give me a spring in my step.
My story begins with me feeling invisible. I am sitting with friends, but feel almost invisible as they laugh and have a conversation while I’m in the background. The second image changes to secondness, where I’m applying my lipstick and slowly transitioning from invisible and shy to confident. As my confidence increases, I use my finger to spread my lipstick. The final image is the same moment in time as the first image. The only difference is that this time, I have my lipstick on, and I am part of the conversation, laughing and enjoying myself.
I printed the photographs out and etched over them to show my presence yet convey the sense of invisibility that I felt without having my lipstick on to give me the feelings of boldness and confidence. Everyone can relate to feeling shy sometimes, and with something even as insignificant as a tube of lipstick, someone can change their personality and be the person they want to be.
