Photographer Cyril Crepin is challenging society’s narrow standards of beauty by capturing the faces of those undergoing facial reconstruction. In her series Disfiguration Portraits, she documents people who have experienced severe facial trauma—often hidden from public view due to stigma.
“These portraits are about showing the beauty in faces that don’t fit the mold,” says the French artist. “In a world obsessed with smooth, ‘perfect’ looks, we forget that real people have real stories etched into their skin.”
The photos are raw and sometimes hard to look at—but that discomfort reveals just how deeply ingrained our ideas of “normal” are. Many of Crepin’s subjects live in isolation, shunned by strangers and judged harshly for their appearance. One man even recalled someone telling him, “If I looked like you, I’d end it.”
Crepin’s work reminds us that beauty isn’t about symmetry or perfection—it’s about humanity, resilience, and seeing beyond the surface.
