London-based photographer Manuela Henao’s project ‘Beauties’ explores the female culture in Medellin, Colombia.
In this society, women grow up surrounded by images of a past ‘Naroculture’, in which females are viewed as objects of adornment and plastic surgery is the norm.
Her subjects include 18-year-old Estefania who had liposuction when she was 15 and breast implants at 18, and 23-year-old Alejandra Remirez, a model and seller of weight loss pills who began saving for medical procedures including breast implants, nose surgeries, and liposuction when she was 18.
Take a look at some of the images from the collection below and learn more about this photo essay at Henao’s website.
[via The Guardian, images via Manuela Henao]