to the ways in which the media exploits the
image of women by reducing the female form
to cheapened objects for the sake of money.
Sex may sell, but Puig believes in the wealth
of virtue over the number amount in his bank
account. “I won’t leave my kids a fortune, but
a good example instead.”
Exemplifying his views on the modeling
industry and the dynamic between a male
photographer and female model, Puig created
the jarring series, Anti-Valentine. When
preparing for shoots like this, Puig puts pen
to paper to sketch his vision; he then proceeds
without a team, styling and designing all
costumes, props and masks.
In this series, Puig encapsulates the devastation
that he believes female models experience under
the sexualizing gaze of male photographers.
A female figure donned in regal garb stands
with a floral arrangement shielding her face,
clutching a bleeding heart in her hand that has
seemingly torn from her chest where a fleshy,
blood-soaked hole gapes. Conceptualizing his
interpretation of the female model’s experience,
Puig laments how “they open up to us and we
tear their hearts apart,” referring to women as
“broken hearted beauties”.
“I’m particularly disgusted by how the business
treats young women, how mediocrity and
vulgar nudity are all around and everybody
applauds it, and how easy it would be to become
a popular photographer just by shooting that.”
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inspadesmag.com