A new exhibit in Los Angeles, “A New Kind of Beauty,” showcases the work of photographer Phillip Toledano and examines the creation of beauty as a result of plastic surgery. Toledano photographs men and women who have had multiple plastic surgery procedures. The Huffington Post reports that the subjects were chosen because they are surgical looking, some are transgender, and, in many cases, it is difficult to pinpoint the subject’s gender.

In the show catalog Toledano suggests that we are at a turning point because plastic surgeons can transform appearances and, perhaps, even create a new beauty standard. His subjects have each had multiple procedures such as nose jobs, eyelid lifts, breast and pec implants and collagen injections.

Many, including the Daily Mail, found perfection in the photographer’s lighting, composition and printing, comparing them to 17th century court paintings by a Dutch master and dubbed them “Botox Botticellis.” 

One Beverly Hills plastic surgeon remarked in The Huffington Post, “The skin tones are so desaturated that they no longer look lifelike, but rather something in between an old painting and the sallow complexion of an ‘undead’ vampire.”

Ultimately, the plastic surgeon thought that the photos provide a voyeuristic view of sad social outcasts. “These photos do not demonstrate a ‘new beauty’ but rather an unwavering attempt to create historic standards of beauty in those who do not have that potential.”

Much like what image-manipulating software, Photoshop has done to the ideal of beauty in popular magazines and ads, the artist questions if plastic surgery will allow us to physically mold and change our bodies to reflect our views.