An intimate animation that explores the body-related insecurities of women in their thirties

Featuring 20 different characters, each one confronts their perceived flaws in front of the mirror. The intimate animation style, which blends the realism of the rotoscoping technique with a heavily stylised design, invites us into a private and sensitive moment in the subject's life.

The morphing transitions blend the women seamlessly with fluid motion, highlighting the fact that regardless of race or background, they all share the same "flaws".

In doing so, Serafimova hopes to encourage others to accept their own "imperfections" and lessen the negative impact they have on their self-worth.

The idea behind Flawed came from a casual remark by Serafimova’s partner, pointing out that she made a different face when she looked at herself in the mirror. "I became aware of the fact that whenever I came across even a vaguely reflective surface I sucked in my neck and stomach and tilted my head to a more flattering angle. I recognised that this was a futile routine I performed solely for my own benefit, which made me wonder if other women do the same to cope with their own body-related hang-ups."

Reaching out to other women, Serafimova asked them to open up about their own physical insecurities, which in turn formed the main inspiration for the animation. She captured moments where they confronted their own perceived flaws in front of the mirror in order to encourage others to accept their own and lessen the negative impact they have on their self-worth.

The music track, composed by Yasmin Kuymizakis, evokes strength and sensitivity in equal measures. "I wanted to produce something bold and dark, yet the visuals also inspired me to add a soft, gentle touch to the sounds. For instance, I made a somewhat 'flawed' and dirty beat by tweaking samples from an 808. The synth's purpose is to make this feel smoother and I found the sound worked well with the colour pink."

Serafima Serafimova began her career with a degree in Fine Art from the University of The Arts London in 2010. Since then she has been working as a video editor and sound designer at creative agency Nice and Serious, where she discovered and developed her skills within moving image. She also joined online film and animation festival Short of the Week as a staff writer and curator in 2017.