Katarina Houghton

Photography – Boston

I am a 22 year old photographer living in Jamaica Plain. My artwork uses floral imagery to glorify the female body, and celebrate natural imperfections and aspects of the body that women are taught to be ashamed of. In contrast, the floral imagery is also used to show the oppressiveness of unattainable beauty standards. This project explores my own experience with the pressures of beauty standards and my personal expression of femininity. I use a combination of self-portraiture, portraits of my close friends, and still lives. I take influence from the historic symbolism of flowers, but repurpose the flowers to contradict preconceived notions that women are supposed to look and present themselves a certain way. By making the images visually appealing, but also slightly gross, I am drawing the viewer in and confronting them with the natural state of the female body.