Diptych_01

For her project Before & After, Kansas City-based radio journalist Esther Honig sent a photograph of herself to Photoshop professionals around the globe with one simple request: “Make me look beautiful.” Using the freelancing website Fiverr, she heard back from 27 artists, who, informed by the nuances of their own cultures, edited her face to resemble an ideal femininity. A few submitted multiple images. A few of the results were so drastic that they left the unrecognizable Honig breathless.

In each image, we might find the normally invisible yet pervasive pressures faced by all modern women, regardless of ethnicity and background. The striking project highlights the fleeting and ambiguous nature of beauty, rendering each unrealistic standard both oppressive and arbitrary.

Esther_Honig_02Chile

Esther_Honig_03Indonesia 

Esther_Honig_04Venezuela 

Esther_Honig_06Kenya

Esther_Honig_05

Morocco

Esther_Honig_07U.K.

Esther_Honig_09Argentina

Esther_Honig_10Israel 

Esther_Honig_11Serbia

Esther_Honig_12Italy

Esther_Honig_13Vietnam

Esther_Honig_14Greece

Esther_Honig_15Ukraine

Esther_Honig_16Pakistan

Esther_Honig_17Romania

Esther_Honig_18Germany

Esther_Honig_19Sri Lanka

Esther_Honig_20Australia

Esther_Honig_21Bangladesh

Esther_Honig_22India

Esther_Honig_23Philippines 

Esther_Honig_24U.S.A

via Cosmopolitan

Discover More