ICP Teen Academy

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Merlina Flores



The definition of beauty according to google is “the quality of a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or mind.” But what does that really mean? Does that mean if one quality of myself isn't pleasant to view from another I'm not defined as beautiful? This thought wanders through the brains of many people of this world. This is the effect of beauty standards. As a person who struggles with their own self image I knew this is a topic I wanted to explore and represent through my photography.

Within this project I wanted to document how beauty standards  not only affect a person physically but mentally. I wanted to welcome the viewer into the world of someone who struggles with body image. I decided to represent this all through self portraiture because I wanted to give it a more personal touch as it is my story.. It was a decision to walk a path I had avoided for years—to capture not the world around me, but myself, in a vulnerable and raw way.

I’ve always preferred to document the lives of others, observing people from afar. The main reason I would focus on others was because I was afraid of focusing on myself.  I needed to turn my camera around and look at myself for once not as an observer, but as the main attraction.
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Merlina Flores is a student photographer based in Greenpoint Brooklyn  and attends The High School of Fashion Industries where she studies Film & Digital Photography , She mainly focuses on street photography, and tries to capture the essence of life and moments that people tend to overlook. She has worked on a year-long  project mainly focusing on answering the question “How can I capture the essence of life through photography?”, having the goal of opening the eyes of others on the importance of life. She has a saying of “ The blood that flows through our body keeps us alive but the memories we make are what lets us live.”  

She's a storyteller not only through photos but words, writing is a big passion of hers especially poetry. She has also been a student at The International Center Of Photography since summer 2023 and continues to attend this program. She has had her work displayed at the DiverCity Lens gallery at the DOE headquarters and had her work published in their book.