Make Me Beautiful

BOOK AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER. SHIPPING EXPECTED BY THE END OF JUNE.
Make Me Beautiful is a bold, ironic, and deeply personal exploration of the beauty standards shaping contemporary China. Blending documentation and performance, invites us to question the endless cycle of expectations imposed on women, and the sacrifices made in the name of appearance.
 
Yufan Lu turns the camera on herself, becoming both subject and observer as she undergoes evaluations by more than 30 beauty clinics from China, Hong Kong and South Korea, and redesigns suggested by plastic surgeons. With a fresh, minimalist visual language, she captures the sterile precision of these spaces—until her narrative is cleverly disrupted by handwritten marks, cutouts, and screenshots from social media that reveal the absurdity and pressure behind the pursuit of perfection.
 
Winner of the fifth edition of the Star Photobook Dummy Award. Through its mix of humor, honesty, and sharp critique, Lu’s work embodies the spirit of the Star Photobook Dummy Award—celebrating authenticity, empowerment, and the courage to challenge conventions.