Refracted Beauty: Beyond Standards, investigates how beauty standards are shaped by societal, cultural, and historical norms and seeks to challenge and redefine how beauty is perceived and represented. A central question of this work is how beauty can be liberated from dominant constraints to embrace more inclusive and diverse perspectives. Beauty, often dictated by external factors, serves as both a form of self-expression and a source of limitation. Through visual storytelling, beauty standards inform perceptions of gender, race, and identity while constructing alternative narratives that promote inclusivity. 

The project uses abstract animation to explore beauty’s evolution and is informed by Hein’s critique of traditional beauty standards as symbolized by morphing environments, reflecting the tension between societal norms and fluid identity1. Krozer and Gómez’s focus on racialized beauty structures is conveyed through dynamic motion, offering alternative, inclusive representations2.