N A N C Y   B U R S O N : HE/SHE/THEY

Once known for its permanent beauty, the Barbie shows its ephemeral side in Nancy Burson’s work. The close ups of these dolls, while heavy with makeup, reveal their age through wrinkles and distress on the skin. Nancy Burson’s Aged Barbie series play into the cinematic trope of female vulnerability and object-hood that Cindy Sherman tapped into with her Untitled Film Stills. The dramatic lighting and anxious expressions speak to the fear of female aging its effect on perceptions of femininity.

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