Photography

Hottie (Part One) (2020) 

Instagram Feed edit 

iPhone Camera Roll edit

Full Photos 

Hottie (2020) is a twelve photo polyptych shot on my iPhone 11--the first time I've ever shot an entire project on a smart device. Inspired by a Valentine's Day themed instagram photo posted by model/socialite Jordyn Woods, this series looks at the 'hot girl' type which pervades social media culture today. Ordinarily, photos like the ones Jordyn posts don't affect me in any way simply because they are so normalized on the internet nowadays. However, encountering Jordyn's Valentine's Day photo, I was struck by two conflicting feelings at once: both admiration and repulsion...I wanted to be her (after all, she is considered "hot" which is a peak ideal for women), yet, at the same time, I found what she is doing-- cliche "sexy" poses -- highly repulsive, like a deliberate attention grab. 

I wrestled with my own feelings about those photos, and what it means to be a 'hot girl', and came up with this photo series. This, to me, is what being (or trying to be) a 'hot girl' actually feels like--it's that tension between repulsion and admiration, being inviting and being uninviting, being desirable and non-desirable, posing and being authentic--which are all social expectations of women, not just those considered "hot" on the internet. 

This series features an Instagram Feed edit, an iPhone Camera Roll edit, and each of the twelve original iPhone photos. 

Hottie was shot and edited in August 2020.