"Bionic Beauty Salon" is a documentary engagement with the complexities of life in a female body, specifically the tragically common anxiety surrounding female body image. Driven by the need to address the insecurities in women of all ages...See more"Bionic Beauty Salon" is a documentary engagement with the complexities of life in a female body, specifically the tragically common anxiety surrounding female body image. Driven by the need to address the insecurities in women of all ages who learn to place all of their self-worth in the measure of their beauty, "Bionic Beauty Salon" challenges the equation linking female physical strength and cosmetic beauty. In the process, it reveals the mechanics of glamor through which power is offered to young women. Six remarkable teenage girls speak about their struggles with this issue while a pair of perfect ruby lips dole out beauty tips from inside a compact's mirror, a surgeon performs liposuction on tapioca and jello, an ice cream sandwich sunbathes by the pool, and a grown woman searches for cosmetic counter salvation. Overseeing these struggles, the Bionic Woman, TV's first cyber-Barbie, recharges in luxury at her Bionic Beauty Salon, a toy marketed to TV-watching girls in the 70s. This project returns the gaze of anyone who has ever assessed the beauty of a woman. Written by
Gretchen Stoeltje
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