Drop Dead Gorgeous: Natural vs Artificial Beauty
Wednesday 29 January 2020
17:30 – 20:00
A free, public talk by popular philosopher Dr Yiota Vassilopoulou on the concept of beauty and its relationship to cosmetic treatments.
Do you associate the concept of beauty with things that are natural and 'lifelike' or artificial and 'well-preserved'? Dr Yiota Vassilopoulou takes her cue from the late antique philosopher Plotinus, who has many interesting things to say about beauty and our experience of it, to argue that an artificial, 'dead-like' conception of beauty motivates many current and increasingly popular cosmetic 'treatments' extending from make-up to complex surgeries.
Referencing visual examples from art and media, she will show the relevance of Plotinus’ account for us today by establishing links with contemporary feminist accounts, questions surrounding embodiment, ethics and identity.
First of five FREE Public Lectures in the Arts promoted by the University of Liverpool on the theme 'Beauty, Utility, Time'