Why Are the Letters in the Sash Wonky?

I’ve always been fascinated by how digital manipulation reshapes not only our appearances but also the symbols that surround us. In my Facetune-based artworks of Miss Universe contestants, one detail sparks a lot of curiosity: Why are the letters on the sash so wonky?

The Miss Unicerse Sash Distortion

The answer lies in the process itself. Every time I move pixels in Facetune—dragging, stretching, reshaping a face to reflect algorithmic beauty standards—the sash warps. Its typography, rigid and official, cannot bend without breaking. The letters ripple, distort, and skew, exposing the manipulation beneath the surface.

This is not a glitch. It’s the art. The warped sash reveals the hidden cost of digital perfection. Every attempt to “improve” beauty comes with a distortion of meaning, of culture, of identity. The Miss Universe sash, long a symbol of achievement, authority, and national pride, becomes unstable under the weight of algorithmic ideals.

By leaving these distortions visible, I invite viewers to reflect on what we lose when we chase perfection. The wonky sash becomes evidence—proof that beauty edits don’t exist in isolation. They reshape context, they rewrite symbols, they leave scars.

For me, this work is about more than just aesthetic manipulation. It’s about questioning the relationship between technology, identity, and truth. The distortions are reminders that digital perfection isn’t neutral; it always carries consequences.

If you’ve ever scrolled past an edited portrait and wondered what it hides, look closely at the sash. Its instability tells you everything you need to know.