By Yucen Yao

Fairland currency design concept:

This project aiming to critique ”pretty privilege“ in our society. The result is Fairland—a fantasy country where beauty is worshipped above all else.

Inspiration for this project stemmed from the disturbing fascination with individuals like the ”Hot Felon“ Jeremy Meeks, Japan’s most handsome murderer Ichihashi Tatsuya, Thailand‘s ”Murder Babes“ Preeyanuch Nonwangchai, and the cute murderer Cameron Herrin. It’s alarming how people create fan accounts to pay homage to these attractive felons, overlooking their heinous crimes in favor of their looks.

Fairland is a satirical portrayal of a society obsessed with beauty, aiming to highlight the issues of pretty privilege and the unrealistic standards of beauty that our society promotes. By exaggerating these ideas to the extreme, Fairland serves as a critique of the shallow and superficial values that we often prioritize over more meaningful qualities.

In Fairland, people worship beauty and value physical appearance above all else. The most beautiful individuals are revered as higher beings, believed to be blessed by a divine power and destined for greatness. This setting mirrors our societal tendencies, urging us to reflect on how we elevate beauty over substance.

I chose Barbie and Ken dolls as symbols for the currency I designed because they used to epitomize typical Western beauty standards. (This decision was made well before the release of the Barbie movie.) By using Barbie and Ken as symbols, I wanted to underscore the pervasive and unrealistic beauty ideals ingrained in our culture.

Fairland invites you to take a closer look at how this imagined nation operates and how it reflects our own society‘s obsession with physical appearance. Through this project, I hope to provoke thought and discussion about the values we prioritize and encourage a shift toward appreciating more meaningful qualities over superficial ones. 🌟