Be Your Own Mystery

The dress in the image above I bought many years ago and I have a personal attachment to it. I think you either love it or you hate it. I remember asking my friends whether or not they liked the dress and their reply was "no, not that dress.. you look like you've walked out of Downton Abbey". Some might find that an insult and perhaps it was considering I was about to attend a gig. However, I for one believe that the costumes in Downton Abbey are simply sublime. I feel like our society lacks the class and elegance from that period. An age where women prided themselves on the mystery and romance. The modern woman is not only more exposed physically but also emotionally.

With the rise of social networking sites, it is becoming a normality to see both genders sexualising their bodies for public attention. The mystery element is fading; visions are no longer a personal and private experience. There are existing pressures especially for women to live up to certain expectations about what society deems as 'attractive'. There has been such a shift in the world we live in than the world of the 1920s. Everything is publicised and we are left forgetting the importance of what really matters. What beauty truly means? What attraction actually is? I believe that it is far more than a distasteful cleavage shot or an image of someone accentuating their bottom in full Kardashian style.

A thirst for attention which really represents vulnerability and a lack of self-worth. I feel like in some cases promiscuity is misread and should not be judged but supported. Beauty and self-confidence needs to be found within and only then, will it shine through you. This is what should be promoted, we need to be happy in our own bodies, our own minds. That is what is truly beautiful.



Photographer: Sophie Webster
Location: Poxwell Mannor House, Dorchester