Big shifts are happening in the world; societies are changing rapidly. But how do we visualize this? It may not be immediately obvious what’s happening in this picture, but something seems unusual. Bruises, zippers, a covered face. This is not everyday life. The picture is not about who she is as an individual, but what she has chosen to do to her body as a part of her culture.

Photographer and artist Ji Yeo’s project Beauty Recovery Room focuses on the ubiquity of plastic surgery in South Korea. The series developed out of her own desire to alter her body. Even before high school, she felt pressure to be someone other than herself.

“As I moved on to high school, plastic surgery