New Age Portraits

 

“Portraits are not just likenesses but works of art

that engage with ideas of identity as they are perceived,

represented and understood in different times and places.”

Shearer West

 

'Smile!' The word that, for years, was better known as an invitation for getting ready for a picture is on its way to obsolescence. In 2016, you say 'smile' and I we say let me find the right lighting, my good side, check my makeup and look for incriminating evidence on the background. Actually, let me pull a Victoria Beckham and not smile at all, as what it really comes to is what facial expression suits me the most.

 

Portraits and self-portraits have contributed to building our public personas for centuries: a curated and aspirational façade that both launch us into and shield us from others’ eyes. In them you may be whomever you like, though you are rarely a depiction of your absolute true self. Moreover, the rapidly growing photo-editing digital tools and platforms that we are all now familiar with play a vital role in shaping how we are seen by ourselves and by others. 

 

The Polynesians depicted individualised faces in the Neolithic period, while the Romans produced masks to remember their dead. By the Renaissance, portraits were a widely known practice in western Europe, with wealthy individuals having themselves immortalised through opulent, serious-looking paintings. Paul Moorhouse, a senior curator at the National Portrait Gallery, argues that portraits are closely linked to likeness, with artists such as Van Eyck reproducing themselves on canvas – the very first selfies – as early as the 15th century. 'Portraits were then used to convey a notion of achievement and status”, he says. 'They now express a range of ideas and values.'

 

A modern portrait in social media has the capacity of portraying almost anything, from tastes and preferences to emotion and personality. To show oneself as one wishes through various platforms and to diverse audiences has many advantages, as fashion psychologist Jemma Beveridge points out: 'Curating one’s images and profile in general is a form of self-expression, which simultaneously forms and maintains one’s sense of identity.' Beveridge soupçons an important argument, as portraits, together with other elements such as LinkedIn and Facebook profiles, complete our near-vital social profiles and therefore how we identify ourselves within society. 

                

Just as in a first interview or date, one wishes to give an impression based on positive, widely accepted conventions. Once a relationship is there, then more honest and personal revelations may follow. This is particularly true for self-portraits. 'Selfies are a modern way of putting your best foot forward', says fashion journalism student Thomas Marrington, 'in most cases people prepare for them by doing their hair and their makeup and finding the best light. They take multiple shots, pick the best one and then filter it.'

 

Selfies are particularly common in the fashion industry, where a carefully curated image not only speaks about the person’s identity, but also of their fashion point of view. Fashionistas, the industry's most fashion-forward individuals, are exceptionally savvy when it comes to combining the skills of styling and staging, often creating images that will be followed and even copied by tens, hundreds, and even thousands. 

 

Digital platforms have grown exponentially in size and variety since the invention of the internet, and the world has lost no time in making the most of them. From the expertly assembled Photoshop, to the more fun-loving Snapchat, today there are endless possibilities to tweak one’s images and well, bring one’s spirits up with the help of good Samaritans. For it is others, whether lovers or haters, that we ultimately do this for. 

 

There is a healthy limit to everything, though. 'Going beyond good lighting and using filters is potentially harmful', says Marrington. 'Apps like Facetune are problematic because they alter your physical appearance, from removing blemishes to changing eye colour'. The facility to create stalks of pictures to chose from, easy access to editing apps and growing need for peer approval has fed younger generations with an obsession for social portraits, sometimes overly blurring reality through a self-built façade. As Marrington points out, 'the final product is rarely a true representation of the person, but a manufactured ideal that they wish to show the world.'

 

Shannon and Brogan Kelly, sisters studying menswear design and footwear design respectively, like to think they do keep a healthy balance when taking selfies. 'We are both pretty easy, worrying mostly about living the moment and posting whenever we can', says Shannon. 'I do use filters to tweak an image if I’m not wearing makeup and I’ll check that nothing is wrong with the background, but I won’t obsess over a thing', she concludes. 'Our sister though', Brogan adds, 'she is very pretty and takes selfies very seriously. She is quite strict when it comes to snapping and posting, keeping a schedule and everything.' Sounds familiar?

 

The obsession of creating the perfect picture, one that will attract as many likes as possible, suggests tendencies of perfectionism and narcissism, as Beveridge suggests. It is also this obsession that may play an important role in either boosting or lowering people’s self-esteem. 'A well received selfie contributes to an individual’s confidence and wellbeing, while one with negative response will immediately affect one’s self-worth.' By sharing personal photos on social media one risks being exposed to other’s opinions through likes and comments, which inevitably leads to constructing your one's through their eyes.

 

Portraits have been around and will stick around; they are a practice embedded in our society with vast uses and meanings, the pros presumably bigger than the cons. Whether a Vincent Van Gogh, a Frida Kahlo or a selfie of your own, the main thing is that one’s essence, whatever one is respected and loved for, is there. 'There’s no true harm in taking selfies', concludes Marrington. As long as you keep the balance healthy, that is. In fashion we're known for our individuality and how we express it. Keep it fresh, keep it cool, polish if you must, but keep it real. 

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Published in the 2016 printed edition of Pigeons and Peacocks, the London College of Fashion's student magazine.