“Make Me Beautiful” is a bold, ironic, and deeply personal exploration of the beauty standards shaping contemporary China. Combining documentary and performance, it invites us to question the endless cycle of expectations imposed on women and the sacrifices made in the name of appearance.
Yufan Lu focuses on herself, becoming both subject and observer as she undergoes assessments at more than 30 beauty clinics across China, Hong Kong, and South Korea, as well as redesigns suggested by plastic surgeons. With a fresh and minimalist visual language, she captures the sterile precision of these spaces, until her narrative is ingeniously interrupted by handwritten annotations, cut-outs, and screenshots from social media that reveal the absurdity and pressure behind the pursuit of perfection.
Winner of the fifth edition of the Star Photobook Dummy Award. Through its combination of sharp criticism, honesty, and humor, Lu’s work embodies the spirit of the Star Photobook Dummy Award: celebrating authenticity, empowerment, and the courage to challenge conventions.