Xinrui Li

In today’s digital ecosystem, self-expression has morphed into a platform for highly commercialized personal branding. To circumvent the manipulations of online comment sections and algorithms, individuals consciously don a “mask of perfection” to curate their image, utilizing photo-editing software, trending templates, and popular filters. Consequently, the self is molded into a mass-produced product, and the act of daily self-presentation shifts from spontaneous emotional expression to a form of high-intensity, simplified “aesthetic labor.”

“Rearview” is an independent visual concept book rooted in participatory design and graphic language. It critiques the pressure for homogenization imposed on modern individuals by digital algorithms and social media. Centered on interviews and experimental collaborations with young women, the project offers a visual analysis that blends millennial aesthetics with contemporary influencer styles. It reveals the “flawless defensive mask” people wear to evade online judgment—a mask adopted either as a coping mechanism against stress or through voluntary choice. The final chapter presents a “collective clock” composed of the participants and the various personas they embody within the book, ultimately restoring “facial autonomy”—the freedom to reject judgment and apply makeup exactly as one pleases—to each authentic, flesh-and-blood individual.

I also produced an album, treating the album format itself as one of the tools influencers use to craft a “perfect” public image. I adopted the visual framework of this concept to explore the nature of self-expression in our era.

Ultimately, I sincerely hope that everyone can express themselves better and with greater confidence.