The Price Tag

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Alibek Amanturlin is an Instagram-based fashion photographer (@amntrln) who uses his images and unique perspective to comment on consumerism, culture, and behavior. In The Price Tag, Amaturlin displays his own original photographed series of both still and moving images to highlight the ways in which people value fashion brands. This concept is explored through his piece by touching upon the how we assign importance to some individuals while blurring out others, only viewing them as an object to wear the valued fashionwear. The images are meant to be viewed with an inquisitive eye, to determing if the photographer shows the face of the model or merely the clothes on their body which uncovers the assumed relationship between the clothes and the viewer. If a face is hidden, the viewer can extrapolate that the clothes are the more important statement, if the fase is shown the viewer knows that the model is famous enough to be the subject- rather than just the clothes itself. The moving images are meant to draw the viewer’s attention to the specific elements of fashion that emphasize assigned values and human behavior. The Price Tag asks the viewer to question their fashion choices and sense of self: Do I choose my style based on what I value or who I value? Do I consume specific fashion brands to impress others? Do I pay solely based on branding? How much do brands influence my style and how I define myself?