U.S. artist Erik Hagen and resident of The Hague, Netherlands, is launching the first showing of the "Beauty Project" online at www.thebeautyprojectart.com.

Hagen, who moved from Washington D.C. to live in The Hague two years ago, interviews each model about why she is volunteering, how she sees her body, and her conceptions of beauty. He pairs the photographs with interviews of the models in order to expand the understanding of what is beautiful. Many of the volunteer models come from the Hague and are U.S. expatriates, but several models are from northern Europe.

Hagen sees the project as collaboration, as a forum for women to share their thoughts about beauty and paired with his photos, paintings, or drawings.

Another motivation for the project was “to meet people and be more social. I left my engineering job in the states, followed my spouse to The Hague, and renewed my career in art. I gave up the daily office routine but found the art studio can be a lonely place, especially for a new arrival in a new country. I’ve been lucky in meeting so many interesting and engaging volunteers for the project."

Hagen says, "We are surrounded by images of thin, young fashion models, airbrushed and altered after the shoot. These images create false expectations of what real women look like. We begin to believe that beauty is thin, beauty is young, and if we are not both of those things then we are not beautiful. These beliefs can be harmful, both in terms of eating disorders, but also in terms of self fulfillment and even our relationships."

Hagen envisions The Beauty Project as an ongoing endeavor that will be published as a book. He is currently accepting more volunteers.

The Beauty Project is online now at www.thebeautyprojectart.com

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