Photographer and film director Cindy Sherman pulled a fast one on us last week when, out of nowhere, she unlocked her previously-private Instagram account and changed the handle to her real name @_cindysherman_ from the incognito @misterfriedas_mom (Mister Frieda is her pet macaw seen in her posts). And that’s when the world got ahold of her wacked-out selfies. You can’t miss their uniquely-Cindy-Sherman vibe – she’s known for her self-portraits that explore a wide range of common female social roles or personas influenced by the pervasiveness of Hollywood, fashion, and mass advertising. As The Art Story puts it, her photos point out the “seductive and often oppressive influence of mass-media over our individual and collective identities.” (You can check out some of her non-Instagram works here at the MoMA.)
So she’s no stranger to selfies, per se, but it looks like the Instagram variety combined with an eager experimentation of FaceTune are recent developments. While she seems to have a consistent theme of let-me-distort-the-fuck-out-of-this, she jumps from personas like goth girl to lady clutching onto the ’70s with a death grip. We also see her as an actual hospital patient, one version of the photo sporting a dolled-up facade and the other looking reaaal roughed-up from the struggle – both are poignant. In true Cindy Sherman fashion, she’s documenting an exploration of self and social identity, and she’s having fun doing it. You go, Cindy Sherman. Get out there on Instagram, and do your thing. Check out our 12 favorite selfies below and see the rest on her Instagram @_cindysherman_.
(the real Cindy)
Photos: Instagram, @_cindysherman_
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