Photography by Jermaine Francis
Jermaine Francis has always been a voyeur when it comes to makeup, glamor and what he calls “aspirational” beauty. For his latest series, the British photographer turns his lens on the north of England to highlight the differences between the international image of the London look and the standards of beauty that are influenced by a working-class interpretation of celebrities.
“There is a distinct retro feel to going out in Liverpool,” Francis says. “The inspiration kind of plays on that that glamorous look as a reference point for femininity. In the north of England there has always been a link between working-class cultures and getting really ‘dolled up’ to go out. Many work all week in low-income jobs so on the weekend it is an aspirational thing, they want to look beautiful.”
The flicked-out 70s hair isn’t the only aspect of Francis’s editorial to take inspiration from the 1977 John Travolta classic, Saturday Night Fever, as the concept behind the editorial also echoes the film’s premise. Although set 40 years and an ocean apart, both deal with how people interpret images of celebrity and glamour to fit their own reflections. This portrayal was so strong in Saturday Night Fever that it in turn influenced how the famous people of the time dressed and wanted to look like.
“Beauty works in polar ways,” Francis says. “On the one hand you have the images in fashion which tend to be very natural that qualify as beautiful, and then you have the strange opposite that is very heavily made up.”
The British photographer is fascinated by the process and labor that goes into creating a look that represents the ego. “In a traditional beauty story you usually have a man or woman with makeup on, but I wanted to show the process,” he says.
CREDITS
Photography Jermaine Francis
Make up Liz Daxauer @Caren Agency
Hair Sabrina lefebvre
All products Hair by Sam McKnight