Flawless skin is the image that skincare commercials sell. The reality, however, is much different. Photographer Sophie Harris-Taylor, who had severe acne in her teens and early twenties much like many people, understood the stigma that women faced and yearned to showcase the imperfect nature of human beings.
“Most of my personal projects seem to come from my own life experiences and throughout there is always some element of my own vulnerability,” explained Harris-Taylor in an interview with Bored Panda. “I began to reflect on my own past and feelings towards my skin, I’d suffered from severe acne. Back then, there were no idols, role models and people to look up to who had anything but flawless skin. Which obviously meant I struggled with my own self image.”
“We’ve come a long way since then, what with body positivity and generally people speaking out about beauty standards and promoting diversity,” added Harris-Taylor. “However I still felt that there was a lack in representing skin in an honest and open way. Epidermis for me was a way of showcasing beautiful women in skins less often seen.”
Harris-Taylor’s Epidermis project photographs women who bear no makeup and have conditions such as acne, rosacea and eczema.
To find models for the Epidermis project, Harris-Taylor searched on social media and contacted those who were unashamed of their flawed skin. “Once I’d started sharing a few photos, it was much easier to put out an open casting as people realized it wasn’t in any way exploitative and I was actually trying to find beauty in this,” said Harris-Taylor.
