All Dolled Up -'Bare truth' Disturbing: Girls Fixated on Body Image

Editor's note: The following story contains subject matter and descriptions that might not be suitable for some readers. Discretion is advised.

Tell it to the wicked queen from "Snow White," who was neither the first nor the last female to find both her life's obsession and the key to her own ruin simply by looking in the mirror. A girl's driving need to be the fairest (prettiest, thinnest, youngest, blondest, best-dressed) is one of the oldest stories in the book, and we all know that for a few, the need can have deadly consequences.

But while photographer Lauren Greenfield hasn't uncovered some new phenomenon in her "Girl Culture" project -- a book, an educational Web site and an exhibit now on display at the Snite Museum of Art -- the images are startling nonetheless. Standing face to face with strippers, topless spring break revelers, fat camp inmates, anorexics, debutantes, cheerleaders, models, junior high clique queens and pint-size Britney Spears wannabes, one gets the sinking suspicion that a once relatively harmless fixation has become a full-blown, national psychosis whose victims just keep getting younger and more numerous.

"I really want to be a teenager. Now. Really fast," says Lily, 6, in one of the revealing interviews that accompany the photographs. "(Teenagers) dress up cool so boys like them. I saw it in a movie. They get dressed so fashionable, like a doll and stuff. They usually do this cool makeup, like lipstick. And a really blushy face. It's cool."

"In college," says Erin, 24, "I would go into the bathroom to purge, and someone would come out who just did, and (we would) look at each other and just know." Photographed by Greenfield at an eating-disorder clinic in Florida, Erin stands on the scale backward, not wanting to see how much she's gained -- but even the "blind weights" are a kind of torture: "I'm getting to where I can hear the clicks, and I'm afraid to hear that second click at a hundred. My total fear every morning is to hear it slide all the way over."

Greenfield's glossy, saturated color prints at first seem to emphasize the surface lives of these girls and women -- their various failures or successes at attaining the all-but-impossible feminine ideal -- but the interviews uncover worlds of hurt and anxiety (and in a few cases, hope) hiding just under the skin. And once the viewer gets there, even the photographs unaccompanied by text begin to speak volumes.

"Teens are not surprised at all by what's in the book," Greenfield, talking by phone from her studio in Venice, Calif., said. The artist said she's received hundreds of e-mails in response to "Girl Culture," many from girls and young women thanking Greenfield for shedding light on so many wrenching, formerly hidden rites of passage.

"Mothers, women of another generation, are often more surprised and disappointed by the photographs, and kind of shocked," Greenfield added. "They ask, 'Where are the smart girls?' It looks more one-sided to them. Of course, it's not meant to be the full picture of girls growing up today."

True, we see more cheerleaders here than valedictorians, but anyone who thinks the mostly maladjusted girls of "Girl Culture" represent some fringe minority is in denial.

"She makes the point that the extreme is becoming the norm -- that these patterns of behavior are becoming more and more common, and it starts at an earlier age than we think," commented Steve Moriarty, photography curator of the Snite. He pointed to a pair of images hanging side by side: On the left, a willowy lingerie model stands on a beach in mesh bikini panties and a matching bra she's just unhooked at the chest. On the right, three little girls in sequins and ballet outfits primp around a table littered with makeup. Calli, 5, stares probingly into a silver hand mirror held by her friend. It looks like the beginning of a lifelong, love-hate relationship.

Mirrors are everywhere in this series, from the basic bathroom vanity to the reflective sunroof of the Ford Explorer limo whisking the "damas" (maids of honor) to a lavish "quinceañera" ("sweet 15" party). And there are figurative mirrors as well: between a mother and her pre-adolescent daughter -- both doing everything they can to look 19 years old -- at an upscale beach resort; in the eyes of three admiring workmen, scoping out a model named Sara on a New York City sidewalk; and in every image where the female viewer might see traces of herself.

"One guy said, 'I felt really nauseous going through the show. I was thinking about all the terrible things I did to girls in high school,'" said Greenfield, recalling the first showing of "Girl Culture" at the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona last fall.

The men and boys we do see here -- bare-chested hardbodies on spring break hoisting an agile woman into an inverted fellatio pose; tattooed bikers ogling a woman's exposed breast, and only her breast, in another beach crowd -- make a sorry display, but again, Greenfield doesn't intend to reflect maleness in all its complexity. Rather, the images challenge us to consider how "girl culture," as Greenfield defines it, couldn't possibly exist without the willing participation of everyone involved.

"One of the things I looked at is how girls are complicit in this process," the photographer explained, adding that back in her own student days at a progressive school, she was taught to blame the male-dominated media, the exploitative fashion industry and so on. Now, she believes there are more complicated forces at work.

Greenfield also captures ironic intersections of what Trudy Wilner Stack, the traveling show's curator, calls "the girlish (ribbons and bows) and the girlie (g-strings and pasties)" realms: a condom blown up into a toy balloon; a "fetus bingo" game at a high school for teen mothers (we see one player's chipped blue nail polish); the shot of Lily, just 5 at the time, browsing with pursed lips through a rack of belly tops at the same Los Angeles boutique that outfits Spears. Lily's outfit -- a fuzzy white bra top and matching shorts, with fuchsia silk flowers at the chest, tucked into her big hair and onto the vamps of her chic slides -- is more shocking than even the skimpiest showgirl getups Greenfield documents in Las Vegas. One can't help wondering, Where is this child's mother?

While parents and other supposedly influential figures are mostly absent from these images, their permissiveness and even complicity in the beauty industry's reign of terror over their daughters -- after all, someone's got to be paying for all these clothes, cosmetics and summers at fat camp -- lurk just outside the frame. Ultimately, "Girl Culture" serves as one big mirror in which we as an American culture must confront this perverse sequel to decades of supposed progress in gender equality.

Early on, though, Greenfield had no idea the photographs she was making -- often in very intimate, private settings -- would end up telling such a big, public story.

"This really grew out of the last book I did, 'Fast Forward,' which was about kids growing up in L.A., how they grow up so quickly, and specifically looking at the culture of materialism," she said. "I just started to get interested in girls and how they acted within the material culture."

She continued the investigation while on assignment for other, short-term projects, chiefly for The New York Times Magazine. Gradually, over about five years, the big picture became clear.

"She has a good antenna, and good instincts for what's going on in a culture at a particular time," Moriarty observed. "We may take a little flack" from conservative voices on campus, the curator added, for the sheer flesh factor of this show and its exposure of social problems some might like to believe have no home at Notre Dame. "I hope people see themselves in these."

Discomfort lurks beneath the winsome smiles in this image from "Girl Culture," captured at the Fitness America competition in Redondo Beach, Calif. Photographer Lauren Greenfield visits the Snite Museum of Art today to discuss the controversial show. Photos provided/LAUREN GREENFIELD

"I want to be a topless dancer or a showgirl," says Sheena, 15, shown here with her friend Amber in a department store fitting room in San Jose, Calif. Many of Lauren Greenfield's "Girl Culture" subjects are photographed looking (usually unhappily) at mirrors, although in this case the mirror is just out of frame.

In "Girl Culture," Lauren Greenfield documents the many "body projects" -- such as the fresh pedicure of Nikki, an aspiring Hollywood actress, displayed here in Gucci shoes -- that take up so much of American females' time, attention and disposable cash. Photo provided/LAUREN GREENFIELD

'Lauren Greenfield: Girl Culture' Through March 9 at the Snite Museum of Art, on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. An opening reception will be from 2 to 4 p.m. today, with a lecture by Greenfield at 3 p.m.

Also on display: "Contemporary Impressions: Art by Native American Artists" and "Notre Dame Architecture Student Drawings: Designs for a New Snite Museum." Regular gallery hours are from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

In addition, photographs from Greenfield's last book, "Fast Forward," will be on display through March 23 at the Brauer Museum of Art, on the campus of Valparaiso University. Call (219) 464-5365 for more information.

The difference is that a person can go through life for quite a few years being chubby and gaining weight. The effects aren't quite so immediate, there is time for a girl to figure out how to fix this.

Okay, I think I catch your point that an eatting disoder (excessively low weight) is a problem that can come on fast and hard at a certain age and needs prompt attention. I'm still not sure that eatting disorders are nearly as serious as obesity for society -- I'll have to think about it a bit. The pain and deaths that come from obseity are more likely to strke in later ages, but they seem far more common and are therefore a bigger problem for our culture.

You must've missed Shania Twian struttin around last night during Superbowl halftime. Her boobs were 'bout up to her chin. Jennifer Lopez and Halle Berry also come to mind -- probably since they've been on the cover of every magazine for the past year. You couldn't exactly call them waifs. Runway models, OTOH (the freaks of fashion) have always been exceptionally thin with no hips or bust (a little known secret -- many high fashion designers hire transsies to acheive that heroin look for their runway work).

As for gays pushing a drive to make women less feminine, unless you're talking about lesbians, I disagree. The gay men I know want nothing more than to make every woman as feminine as possible.

Women don't choose anything - it's all done by committee. Trust me.

Well I'm a guy so I may just have to take your word for it.

Isn't the decision-making in these committees done mostly by women? Or do I have that wrong?

I have a hard time picturing women who want a certain look, only to be told by a guy -- whether gay or straight -- to make a different decision. That's hard for me to imagine. (But then what do I know about the mind or hearts of women? Not a lot, let me tell you!)

You said what I was thinking -- is anyone going to arrest this photographer for child porn? After all, she's got pictures of underage girls in their underwear...

I was amazed that the guy got 6 months for taking nude pics of 17 year olds. Most of them have been sexually active for quite a few years if they are posing. The laws are a little wierd around that magic 18 and 21 years of age.

www.eatingdisorderinfo.org/menu.html

Just something else to look at. This isn't just for you, everyone should learn more about eating disorders. This society has romanticized these diseases for far to long. Women and men are (most young people) are dieing because of an unrealistic goal for a body image that society has created.

I'm so glad you brought this point up. Homosexuals for the most part are the driving force behind the fashion/beauty industry. I have maintained for quite a while that they are purposefully making women less feminine. The very, very thin bodies. Breasts and hips are "out". Scraggly hair, usually cut short and make-up that looks like it should be in a horror film. They (the homosexuals) want to look prettier than real women.

I think you're half-right. The homosexual men in modern fashion aren't intentionally making women look ugly, it's a by-product of the designers trying to make women look like their perfect ideal of a man.

Women and men are (most young people) are dieing because of an unrealistic goal for a body image that society has created.

Thanks for the link, though I can't imagine why I'd want to look at it.

I cetainly agree that eatting disorders are terrible, and also highly unattractive when they are most serious. Sorry if I said anything that seemed to minimize the problem.

But I still feel that when you compare the problems of obesity to the problems of excessively low weight, obesity is the far more common and dangerous problem in America today (even though reporters spend much more time writing about the later problem) -- it causes much more widespread pain and premature death. If I have that wrong, feel free to correct me.

Wasn't picking at you, per se'. There was one months ago that was "series", and I thought this could be the newest twist. Was trying to be light hearted, not critical. I meant no offense to you.

I guess it's pick your poison, because if Hetero men were running things, women would all look like

Athletic Vixens spoiling for a Catfight

LOL

I'm so glad you brought this point up. Homosexuals for the most part are the driving force behind the fashion/beauty industry. They (the homosexuals) want to look prettier than real women.

Congratulations. I didn't think we could fold homosexuals into this one but you managed to flog them anyway.

I remember reading somewhere that the fashion models should resemble a 10-13 year old boy from behind. At least that would appear to be the goal for the fashion industry's 'ideal woman'.

I work in NYC and I see fashions to fit every conceivable body type. Even if the very fashion forward design houses make clothes only for thin women, other companies pick up the slack and market to more curvy ladies. Even ladies who are downright fat can find clothing that is attractive and relatively fashionable.

This coupled with the fact that even fashion forward design houses (Guess, Diesel, etc.) sell much milder fare than their runway designs.

I'm really the wrong person to pontificate on this subject. I only know anything from ladies that I'm friends with. I buy most of my clothes at Marshalls (or the equivalent).

I have a real hard time believeing that gay men (maybe 2% to 4% of the population) can somehow enforce their beauty preferences on women (about 50% to 52% of the popluation). It doesn't add up.

Now I have an easier time believing that women are able to enforce their beauty preferences on other women (not always with good results).

To be honest, I can't think of a single aspect of life that isn't better for me at 50 than at 16

Properly lived, life should be an improving, not a declining, thing. It's amazing how the things that seemed so important 20 years ago really don't matter. Each age has its satisfactions, and they get richer as one goes along.

Of course, many people don't equip themselves intellectually or spiritually to live life properly. Arrested adolescence must be a terrible way to spend the last 40-50 years of your life.

I have a real hard time believeing that gay men (maybe 2% to 4% of the population) can somehow enforce their beauty preferences on women (about 50% to 52% of the popluation). It doesn't add up.

It starts to add up when you realize that there are a disproportional amount of flaming fashion designers.

I don't understand it either, but go look at the models from the 1970's-1980's and compare them with today's models.

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