Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Photo of the Day Photo of the Day: The beholder
Posted by TL Pixley on Tue, Feb 22, 2011 at 11:15 AM
The Bronner Brother's Hair Care Convention takes place every year in Atlanta. The event caters, for the most part, to barbers, salon owners, and other hair car product manufacturers looking to stay up-to-date on the latest in hair care technology and technique. On Sunday afternoon, I spent about four hours aimlessly wandering the massive floor of the Building A at the World Congress Center, hypnotized by the business of beauty. The air was dense with the aromas of shampoos, creams, perfumes, singed hair, and barbecue (which was being served on one side of the room, under two giant red signs that read "CRAVE"). Half of the booths had their own sound systems, playing whichever song they thought might attract their next sale, making it hard to understand the booming spokespeople at the other half of the booths, preaching their product to the room. It was loud and chaotic, and, for a photographer, made blending in even easier.
This photo was taken at one of the biggest demonstration stages in the room. I made it around the room many many times in 4 hours, and every time I passed this stage, I was taken by the size of the woman's face on the backdrop and how striking it was when juxtaposed with the action in front of it. The thing was huge. The room was filled with large images of beautiful women's faces, you really couldn't look in any direction without a giant model's eyes staring back at you. What a fight it must be, and how exhausting it must be, to be a woman surrounded by these unrealistic and absolute definitions of beauty at every single turn. The weight that American culture puts on appearance is astounding, and the amount of money and time that people throw at companies to continue chasing these giant, retouched women is something to think about. In the end, the contentment that we, the consumers, find in our de-frizzing all-in-one shampoo or our super eye-lash extending mascara, is genuine. It makes us feel beautiful, it makes us happy, and maybe that's what matters.
The Bronners Bros Hair show continues through today. More photos from the event.
(Photo and text by Dustin Chambers)
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