My project was centered on finding the moments when women I know first became aware of beauty. I began with a sex-ed book from the 1800s. I wasn’t necessarily surprised but still disturbed by the emphasis the author placed on beauty. What was even more disturbing was the fact that many of the assumptions the book placed about beauty and femininity are still tightly held by many today. I decided to guide my piece towards looking at how women internalize these notions of beauty. I was also drawn to a poem which retold the story of Black Swan. In the film, the protagonist struggles with body image, perfectionism, mental illness and fitting into a very structured role. I had also recorded a friend reading excerpts from the sex-ed book but ultimately decided against including them in the piece.  This was largely because I assumed that the listener can begin to make assumptions about what they pertained to and I wanted to focus my attention and time on the interviews. I edited the audio clips and recorded a friend reading part of the poem. I then interspersed my own commentary, interviews and the poem to form what I hope will be a nuanced look at how we think about beauty. This topic certainly isn’t under-covered by any means. However, I was struck by the responses my friends gave me and hope that the piece offers an interesting look at the internalization of social pressures. I wanted to create a cohesive narrative for my piece but am worried that it comes across a bit too much like a podcast. Ultimately, I was hoping to create an intimate, personal look at the experiences of several different women.