Representing the likes of mainstay brands, BOTOX Cosmetic, Juvéderm, CoolSculpting, KYBELLA, and more, Allergan Aesthetics has no reason for shyness around their leading role in the medical aesthetics industry. Their spot on the podium comes with responsibility: responsibility to portray reliable and true information around their pharmaceuticals, advertise rational applications of their products, and remain conscious of their impact on our culture. 

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Inspired by her unique and authentic depictions of beauty, FI5TH set out with photographer Emilynn Rose to reshape the face of medical aesthetics. 

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What inspirations pulled you into the world of photography?

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For me, photography started in high school. I loved being around people and I was always out with friends, I was the person capturing those moments. I'm so passionate about bringing people together. Where I grew up in California, it was such a melting pot, but I was pretty much the only Asian person. I remember even coming to America and being like “wow there's so many different cultures here.” Black, Hispanic, Asian, different races compared to growing up in the Philippines where everyone's Filipino. There’s diversity related to my work and that's why I love the sense of bringing community together, bringing inclusivity into my work because that’s how I grew up.

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"At the end of the day we need them to show in their eyes that they feel, I mean really feel, beautiful."

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You’ve mentioned this idea of how you're transforming the perception of beauty. What does that mean to you?

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I just want women to feel really beautiful, authentically beautiful. For me that's kind of what beauty is, right? Feeling confident, feeling true to yourself. I love to capture that feeling. 

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I can relate to it, personally I love being a hype woman on set. Whenever I do beauty shoots, the most important thing for me is that I want whoever I'm shooting to feel extremely comfortable and confident, just feeling themselves during the shoot. When we were shooting for Allergan Aesthetics, the models were a little fresh, you can’t be so critical or negative. At the end of the day we need them to show in their eyes that they feel, I mean really feel, beautiful.

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It's like they're not so worried about the 50 photos that might look bad, they know that there's going to be the 10 shots that we’re going to use.

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“One day, 10 models, 100 images.” What is your reaction when you get a brief like that?

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To be honest, when my clients can find 100 photos that they're truly happy with, I'm feeling myself, like I’m lowkey “the shit.” I truly believe if there's shots that need to be done, as long as there's a great team on set, it's smooth sailing for me. The most important thing is that I do my job right and I make it happen, I'm going to make sure my clients are happy.

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For example, on our shoot I don't think we cut anything. You have to prioritize things, especially because of the longer shot list, there's going to be moments that aren’t as important as others. Plus everything was in-studio, the only thing we were changing was the backgrounds and the models. 

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If you were to tell me, "Hey, we're going to do this whole studio shot, but then we also want some on the rooftop." I'm going to be like, "come on, now." I'm not saying it's impossible, I did an Elf shoot for the Super Bowl and that was three locations, nine models, I had eight assistants. Things aren't impossible as long as the budget matches.

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How do you know when an image has “the look?”

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It’s very subjective, for me it's just a feeling of “that looks good, it feels natural, it feels great.” I mean, but for a creative director who's looking at it more for a brand, they’re looking for “does it highlight what we need, is it showcasing the product or the messaging?”

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My favorite shot of the whole shoot was the models laying down, in that instance where everyone's looking away and then Shea glances at the camera. That was such a moment. I think we only had two minutes of that shot, maybe three. She looked at the camera and I was like “that's it.”

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When we bring someone onto a project, we want to give them the room… we can build the framework, but knowing their inspiration is what they’re bringing to the table, you have to let that live.

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That's the collaboration that can happen when you work with a great agency, finding that balance.

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With a brand Allergan Aesthetics, are there responsibilities around what to depict in their marketing?

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I think about the girls. I don't want women to think they can't feel beautiful because they don't look a certain type of way. That’s why I loved our shoot, to be honest I was like “you can't even tell these people have Botox.” It felt so natural, I wouldn't look at the images and think “oh, I can never be that person, that person looks too fake.” 

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For example, the older woman with the reddish hair, Amanda, the lighting loved her skin. She looked so natural, she looked her age, Botox wasn't changing who she was.

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People can feel a lot of body dysmorphia. I think the brand's responsibility is to be mindful of that. You have so much power as a big brand, you’re reaching millions of people. We shot such a range of ages, body types, skin colors, diversity and inclusivity are so important.

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Growing up, did you feel like there were things in advertising that you were comparing yourself to? 

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That was the whole conundrum in the early 2000s, everyone in the media was thin, jeans were at the low-low, unless you had that body type you would never ever look like that.

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There's this balance, of course we want things to look gorgeous but it can't look so unreal that it's not attainable to who they're selling it to, right? I used to feel it, especially being the only Asian person in certain group settings, I was like, “Should I look like that person more? Should I look like this person more?"

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When I was younger, in high school I was the skinniest I ever was. I was stick thin. When I look back at my photos I remember being that age, all the time thinking I was fat. I remember being so body dysmorphic where I really thought I was fat. I was always super short, everyone in the media was tall. 

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It's crazy because I don't really feel short now and I'm always next to these super tall models. There was a video of me high-fiving a six-foot tall model—I couldn't even tell she was that tall until someone filmed it from afar, lol. I feel so much better now, regardless of how my body shifts because I have a better mindset around it and more of a comfortability when I look at myself. 

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Do you ever find it deflating to create with the intent of selling a product? 

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No. I have fun in my own way to create what is needed for the project and I love the teamwork. I love the collaboration of having a project, having the creative director, to me that is even a creative process. 

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I've been doing this for 11 years now. There were moments in my career where it was like work, work, work, and then you feel burnt out. If I have a vision and I want to do something without a client, without deliverables, just like my own project, I build that project. There's just so much you can learn, but not if you constantly have jobs that tell you what you are. If I'm just constantly working and the clients are the ones telling me “this is who I am as an artist,” then you lose that sense of being an artist. 

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"A photographer or a director is like an orchestrator,
they orchestrate the team."

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Is having a team, and effective teamwork, critical to the process?

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A photographer or a director is like an orchestrator, they orchestrate the team. You're not always going to have the team that you're used to, or even know, sometimes it’s the first time we’re meeting. I have a lot of Zoom calls with lighting techs, hop on the phone with the digi-tech to just get familiarized, it's important to set expectations, but I wouldn't be able to do any of this without my team. 

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Again, the energy is really important. At the end of the day we're all there to do a job. Teamwork makes the dream work.

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Are there specific trends you see happening in photography?

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I mean, there's certain styles that are popping up. Everyone is loving the super-eight look and getting back into the film medium, which I think is very beautiful. It feels timeless, like we're really caring again about what is being shot and not so much of this abundance. When you're shooting digital, it's so abundant. With film, it's a little bit more precious, it's so much more mindful. 

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But also, I think as an artist, I try not to also worry about what's trending so much. I just try to worry about what I like because trends come and go. If I'm constantly following it I'm going to lose myself in the transitions of the trends. I always ask myself is this Emilynn, is this what I like, or is this what the media is telling me I like.

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Emilynn Rose is a filipino-american photographer/director focused on transforming the perception of beauty through her lens.

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Specializing in celebrity, fashion, and beauty, she creates imagery that’s uplifting and radiantly expressive, celebrating the beauty of diversity, body shapes, and identity.

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The imagery featured throughout this article was produced as a part of FI5TH's ongoing partnership with Allergan Aesthetics. Learn more about our work with the brand here.