The make-up artist who posted before-and-after photos of the porn stars she styles was shunned by the industry
‘We’re all human, we’re all absolutely flawed’
A make-up artist who takes before-and-after photos of porn stars has spoken of the heartbreak she felt when she was shunned by the industry.
Two years ago Murphy's pictures, which she posted to her Instagram account to showcase her work, were picked up by the mainstream media.
Murphy claims that while she does not solely style and post pictures of porn stars – many are actors or models completely outside of porn – she always asks permission of her subjects before sharing their make-up free pictures online.
When Murphy’s pictures were first picked up, she was called a snake, accused by some porn stars of secretly working for tabloids or of selling the pictures without their permission, which she denies.
"It broke my heart," she told Tech Insider. "It felt like a popularity contest I had lost."
But now, after losing much of her work, her contacts, and being attacked by some of her previous subjects, Murphy is back to working full time - and to posting before-and-after pictures of the people she styles, from a range of industries.
Murphy says that showcasing her work is no longer the focus of her posts, and demonstrated her new intention by pulling up some of the positive comments she receives from her followers.
One person wrote: “I see how flawless the women in magazines and on TV are, and I constantly have to fight the thought that I’ll never be able to compete. We can all be stars with the help from artists as talented as you.”
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