Many struggle with visualizing a positive self-worth leading to higher instances of depression and anxiety.  Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but the ideals we set on ourselves for beauty are hard for anyone to live up to thanks to pop culture, trash magazines, and pornography.  

I chose to use images of makeup because our society ties makeup with beauty.  Women who do not wear makeup are ostracized, called strange and unprofessional, and typically have or are considered to have low-self esteem.  Furthermore, makeup somehow embodies femininity, thus intruding on our very core vision of males and females wearing or not wearing makeup.

The taupe found on the various pages symbolize droplets of foundation, falling on the pages as the reader realizes that real beauty comes from within.  Makeup is fine if one wants to wear it, to accentuate their natural beauty, however makeup doesn't make one beautiful.  Nothing external can build your self-worth, self-worth comes from you. 

The back cover shows the model confident, and full-sized on the back.  Yes, she is wearing her "face", however she is a beautiful and confident woman of her own right.  The front cover shows her without any makeup looking up towards her made-up self and her made-up self looking down.  I chose this to symbolize the way society looks up to the standard of beauty while the standard of beauty looks down upon others.  However, the hope and kindness shown in both looks also speaks towards what we should all portray no matter how we look to society. 

The article chosen helps move a reader through different ways to build self-worth and the imagery moves from the art of makeup through the destruction of makeup to symbolize once more the cracking of the outer made-up shell to the strong inner self as each point builds self-worth in the individual. 

The finished product is 12 pages in length and includes a cover.  All photography by Jacalyn E. Stanley, all rights reserved.  The model is Amanda Adkins, professional Interior Designer and makeup-lover.  The article is entitled Self-Worth: The Definitive Guide to Valuing Yourself by Tania Kotsos.  This challenge assignment was part of an attempt to study Graphic Design.