The Face of Gene Tierney (Inviting Lips)

From the series Glorify Yourself, a work in progress. Glorify Yourself takes its title from a beauty and charm guide that proliferated widely in the US during the 1940s and 50s, selling tens of thousands of copies. I came across the book three years ago as I began to experiment with self-portraiture. With chapter names like “Inviting Lips” and “Be His Leading Lady,” the book tells female readers that they can better serve the men in their lives by performing a set of exercises that, from today’s perspective, feel outlandish and even abusive. But the book provided me with insight into the universe of desires and delusions that gave rise to the world I inhabit. With a mixture of satire and scorn, I began putting myself in the positions described in the book, exploring my relationship to its creed.