The way we dress and present ourselves is about aspiration and how we want to be. In today’s media-saturated culture, clothes are presented to us in a bourgeois way encouraging us to conform and mimic what we see.

But what do our clothes say about us? How do we present ourselves?

As female university students, these sitters are in a pivotal time in their lives deciding who they are and who they want to be. They have a particular pressure to keep up with the latest “trends”, presenting themselves in an acceptable way and in the way in which they want to be perceived.

But alongside this physical self-presentation comes a self-presentation when placed in front of the lens of a camera. Female awareness of the power of photographic portrayal and poses leaves sitters feeling scrutinised and to an extent awkward in front of the camera, despite presenting themselves physically in a way that they wished to be seen.

Are they awkward? Do they feel self-conscious despite being in their favourite outfits? Do their clothes act as shields from scrutiny?

Do we really control our own image?