Freaky photo series critiques beauty standards

Jessica Ledwich aims to show the number of ways women are conditioned to treat themselves, often using physical harm or pain, in order to appear 'beautiful'. Photo / Jessica Ledwich

In the lead up to summer, women are expected to wax, primp and polish their bodies to beach-ready perfection - a set of beauty standards that photographer Jessica Ledwidch finds "absurd".

In her surreal photo series, Monstrous Feminine, the Melbourne-based artist aims to show the number of ways women are conditioned to treat themselves, often using physical harm or pain, in order to appear "beautiful".

Scroll down to see photos from Monstrous Feminine by Jessica Ledwidch

"Some procedures might just be uncomfortable, but others are downright dangerous - all so we can aspire to look like a model that is digitally manipulated in the first place," Miss Ledwich told Fast Company.

"While the series employs an element of the absurd, the reality of what women put themselves through is not so far from the truth," she added

Her subjects are seen using everything from a car buffer to wax their legs to sharp knives that act as stiletto heels.

One image even portrays a woman with severed fingers for manicuring purposes.

"Like most women I spent a lot of time reading beauty and fashion magazines and I was amazed at how it shaped both my own and my friends' perceptions of how we should look," explained the artist.

"When I got into my 20s, I was suddenly aware of the increased pressure on young girls to look a certain way and the blatant way that the media - who purports to speak to these women and have their best interests at heart - pushes these beauty agendas."

Miss Ledwich, who often incorporates mortality, anthropology, technology and contemporary ideals into her work, also plays on the idea of 'womanly duties' in relation to housework and society's beauty expectations.

One image reveals a woman vacuuming her house while giving herself lip fillers using fat from her thighs.

And in another image, a woman is seen cooking eggs while injecting herself with fertility drugs.

The project took several months to complete, keeping any digital manipulation to a minimum.

The car buffing body scarring, for instance, is created through special effects make-up, rather than added on a computer.

Monstrous Feminine by Jessica Ledwidch

Image 1 of 7: From 'Monstrous Feminine' by Jessica Ledwich. Photo / Jessica Ledwich

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