Over a period of time approximately one year I will transform my body from an ordinary woman: a slightly overweight mom, into
society’s version of the perfect woman- a hyper sexualized, thin, well-toned woman with large breasts and long hair. My transformation will be documented in a series of photographs and journals.
On it’s surface the project will appear to be about the transformation of one woman (me) from frumpy to sexy, but it has another objective. The real objective is to elicit and explore reactions of our community to different versions of myself. How does someone react to me a harried mom and how do they react to me as sexed up vamp. I am the same person the trimmings are just different.
I have always been fascinated by the connection between image and perception.
The impetus for this project came from a specific incident where someone’s perception of me changed drastically because of how I looked.
As an Artist I frequently go to art openings usually scrambling after work to make myself presentable. I decided to present myself as I am, as a Funky Artist and leave the disheveled mom at home. I took the time to plan out my outfits. One of my first was shorts, heels a leopard print shirt with a scarf and a plaid jacket. I was really surprised how many more people talked to me. Everyone knew right of the bat I was an Artist. I experienced another reaction that shocked me. A woman that I knew and spoken to several times berated her boyfriend for speaking to me. What was really surprising was that I knew both of them and had spoken to them several times before. Somehow because I was in a pair of shorts and heels she had this visceral reaction to me and I was no longer suitable to speak to her man. I became some kind of threat
The objective of this project is to provoke these kinds of reactions and invite people to explore 
their reactions. After a visitor has gone through the exhibition they will be given a card informing them that the goal of the exhibition is to elicit the reaction they are having at that moment. They will be invited to go back through the exhibition and write their thoughts on post its and place them by the photographs, becoming part of the exhibition.
Women don’t have a safe place to be with their bodies. As an overweight mom people will say to me “wow you have let yourself go.” As a physically ideal woman you experience hostility of other women. I would like to elicit and explore these perceptions in our community.
Florida Fine Art photographer Phoenix is attached to the project www.Beautiful-LifePhotography.com
Budget – $10,000. Monies will be used for the creation and marketing of The Perception Exhibition, creation and printing of a photojournalism book and the opening reception; all photography supplies to produce the physical images, including presentation and framing; yoga and gym membership to support the physical transformation; costumes and for the general support of the Artists.
The Flying Koi Gallery 