Princess Beauty

Princess Beauty is a mischievous confrontation with the stereotypes and expectations that society imposes on women from the start of girlhood. Resulting from an improvised play-performance, the video presents a dream-like world where young feral girls behave wildly and have fun, against orders. The characters, three 9-year-old “princesses” address the camera in curlers and makeup, as they blatantly defy the rules on proper behavior indoctrinated within them. The “princesses” do their own makeup, rearrange the set and direct themselves as the camera follows them. In one scene, they crawl through a tunnel made of a series of giant golden rings. In the distance, a diamond ring beckons – representing the most desired object – marriage to a prince. And yet, no prince appears in this story, and the diamond ring is a balloon that can pop at any time.

The video was part of the Leo Kuelbs’ collection of DIGITAL FAIRY TALES: “Obvious Surprise”, curated by Ester Szabo. Based on old German folk tales, they subvert the canonized gender roles that fit generations have been instilled and are still strongly present in children’s literature.