Girl Culture (2002) by Lauren Greenfield

For my portfolio, I am focusing on Lauren Greenfield’s Girl Culture. The book features the experiences of youth culture and coming of age in a climate of growing media pressures. Lauren Greenfield is an American photographer known for her groundbreaking captures of youth culture, gender, wealth, and consumerism. She was born in 1966 in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Los Angeles, California, where she felt the rising influence of Hollywood celebrity culture and materialism. Since starting her career as an intern for National Geographic after graduating from Harvard in 1987, Greenfield has grown to become a quintessential photographer and filmmaker of the modern world. In fact, she was named one of the 2015 Top 10 directors in Adweek’s Most Creative 100 People and by American Photo as one of the 25 most influential photographers working today. Her work can be found in a number of art collections and museums, from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to the International Center of Photography. Girl Culture particularly, released in 2002, won accolades for its “strikingly honest look at girls and young women across America” (Orr).

Raised in a Jewish neighborhood and by Jewish parents who instilled distinct values, Jewish identity became intrinsic to Greenfield’s art form. In an interview with Moment Magazine, Greenfield explores the Jewish perspective as a “conflict between assimilation and feeling like the outsider” that applies to her photography in both a critical and sociological sense. Her unique standpoint has enabled her to access “inside worlds,” whether it’s “media or wealth or celebrity.” In Girl Culture, these themes are most definitely reflected, yet through the framework of malleable, identity-seeking young women.

By capturing formative moments, both mundane and momentous, Greenfield delves into the psyches of girls and young women. The book features striking photographs of the girls immersed in everyday life, exposing private, candid moments as well as public ones, from eating disorder clinics to tanning salons. Greenfield’s photojournalist approach to her capturing gives readers a lens into their lifestyle, struggles, and emotional development. Made over a five-year period, the book dives into the insecurities of a diverse spectrum of girls. Greenfield truly gets at the core of girlhood. In a personal reflection on Girl Culture, Greenfield acknowledges the wide span of girls and women in the book,

While the photos are undoubtedly moving, it’s Greenfield’s meaningful interviews and subsequent monologues of her subjects that truly set her work apart. In a report by Institute Artist, Greenfield is described like a “hungry reporter keen to understand what it means to be a girl in America” (Institute Artist). Greenfield is known to take inspiration from photographers like Diane Arbus, who she prides for her “intimacy and directness.” Arbus’ influence can be seen through Greenfield’s “hunger” to get involved in the behind-the-scenes of the photographic process.

Below, Greenfield explains her intentions behind Girl Culture and what it has grown become, a universal reflection on girlhood that women of all ages and backgrounds can relate to.

In an interview with Guardian, she explains, “I am a documentarian, interested in sociological issues – but I’m not a passive observer, or a fly on the wall. My photography is artistic and intuitive, but with an anthropological perspective…” (Guardian). By thoughtfully gaining the trust of the girls she photographs, Greenfield captures moments that “are not just about an individual, but speak for the culture we live in.” Through the themes of body image, commercial culture, and feminism, over 100 striking photographs, and 18 poignant interviews, Greenfield exposes the harsh realities of growing up as a girl in an intense yet beautiful fashion.

Lauren Greenfield aims to capture the youthful, coming-of-age nature of girls in tandem with Hollywood pop-culture influence. Her photography approach is candid; she isn’t afraid to get close and actually interact with her subjects. In fact, she actually interviews many of the girls in her photos in order to truly get a lens into their lifestyles. These poignant descriptions, as well as the connections she establishes with the girls, add a level of depth and background to Greenfield’s photos. Yet, the photos on their own also tell a story of their own. Greenfield always had a fascination with girls’ behaviors in regard to body image and self-discovery. She combined this interest with her love of photojournalistic photography to create a realistic portrayal of Girl Culture.

After researching Greenfield’s motives, styles of composition, and overall background, I’ve gained a clearer idea of how she connected the themes of girls with societal pressures and Hollywood themes. I’ve decided to take on a similar concept, this time through the form of college-aged girls. I will capture their daily lives through both public and private moments, just as Greenfield does. In doing do, I will explore themes of growth, self-discovery, friendship, and societal pressures. I plan on capturing the small every day, moments through portraiture photography, imitating Greenfield’s style of really getting close to her subjects. I will photograph the quintessential “college” moments, ranging from studying to partying to just eating lunch. While I am home for thanksgiving break, I also aim to capture other forms of girlhood, as Greenfield did, to get a wider range of content. 

I plan to use both my iPhone and my Canon Rebel T6i in my photography process; my iPhone to catch the candid, raw emotion and spur-of-the-moment shots, and my camera to capture the more detail-oriented, editorial-style shots. All of these photos aim to unravel what it is really like to be a college girl in 2022. Through the inspiration of Lauren Greenfield and context of the University of Michigan, I hope to craft a true photo-journalist take on girlhood and society. 

I’ve taken the last few weeks to reflect on Greenfield’s work and brainstorm how to infuse her photojournalistic approach into my own college landscape. Looking back, my photographic journey taught me many things, and not just about photography. It gave me a (physical and metaphorical) lens into my subjects’ lives, producing an anthropological outcome. What I thought would be a silly series of photos about my friend’s everyday lives turned out to be a deeper narrative. I aimed to capture what it is really like to be a girl in today’s college environment, and how certain external pressures pose challenges to girlhood. 

 Having researched Greenfield’s style and composition, her influence became central to my photographing process. I really tried to immerse myself into the lives of my subjects in order to get a better grasp of their self-perceived identities and mentalities. And it worked. By getting closer to these girls, asking them questions, and understanding their backgrounds, I was able to capture a more robust view, rather than a simple portrait. 

Interestingly, I learned a bit about myself as well. I’ve always been a planner. I live by my meticulously-sorted Google Calendar. When it came to photographing for this project though, I struggled to execute a plan. While in other fields or classes, this would cause me immense anxiety, I ended up liking the fact that I didn’t have a plan, but rather a loose theme; girl culture. I came to the realization that my work in this series generally thrives off spontaneity — the “happy accidents.” I channeled my inner Greenfield and aimed to shoot the mundane, regular moments that are intrinsic to the subjects’ lives. In looking back at Greenfield’s book after I shot my own photos, I discovered how close she really had to get to create these beautiful images. While I am comfortable being a few inches away from my roommate I’ve known for 2 years, Greenfield had to establish comfort with complete strangers in a matter of days, even hours. Even more importantly, these complete strangers had to trust her, particularly in vulnerable settings such as a weight-loss camp and the back of a fitting room. By experiencing this up-close-and-personal style firsthand, I developed a greater appreciation for Greenfield’s documentary efforts.

While the process was rewarding, I definitely experienced some challenges along the way. As mentioned, while I had a loose theme and reference, I didn’t exactly have a “shot list” of ideas before embarking. This made shooting a bit complicated, as I had to have my camera at hand for a few days, ready to capture any moment. Sometimes I saw a perfect scene but was too late to whip my camera out. I tried to take a mental picture to make up for it. In addition, people weren’t as willing to be on camera as I’d expected. I honestly thought girls my age would like to have their photos taken given today’s Instagram-centric, selfie culture. Yet, once I explained the theme of the shoot, they had reservations. I guess in retrospect, it is understandable. This wasn’t any glamorized, fashion-editorial, wear-your-best-outfit shoot, it was a real, raw, candid story. I think this notion of being vulnerable in front of the camera scared potential subjects off. Yet, I did my best to reassure them that the intention wasn’t to be an exposé with any negative connotations. Rather, I simply wanted to shed light on their experiences as a girl in college. 

Lastly, there were several reservations about privacy and embarrassment. Greenfield shoots some pretty honest, jarring moments, such as… I intended to capture some starkly real (perhaps even jarring) scenes that would elicit emotion, but my subjects were hesitant, again understandably. For example, I photographed a friend holding a bottle of alcohol with the intention of highlighting college girls’ relationship with drinking, yet she preferred that the photo not be published. I ended up scrapping several intimate, compelling photographs for the same privacy-related reasons. Dealing with these concerns gave me even more respect for Greenfield, as she was brave enough to access and approach a range of girls and tackle uncharted, taboo themes. 

That being said, I do think my “replication” was quite successful. A few of my favorites include “Ali, 20, getting ready for a night out,” “Daphne, 21, with vintage Gucci bag,” and “Angela, 20, President of Tamid” and her accompanying interview. It was surely liberating to explore the point of view of female college students, as I myself am one. Because of my experience and background, I was able to approach this project with empathy, understanding, and an advantageous “eye” for capturing what feels relevant to the female college student perspective. By adopting Greenfield’s practice of taking an anthropological approach, I also feel like I became educated on these social pressures and themes I set out to explore. I’m glad I opted to include an interview, as it brought a layer of dimension to the existing paired photo.

As I mentioned earlier, one of Greenfield’s biggest inspirations was Diane Arbus. In a reflection by Liz Jobey about Arbus’ work, she explains “Arbus employed the approach of the street photographer…that is, she walked the streets with her camera at the ready, searching for people whose appearance and attitude drew her to them. But her purpose was not philanthropic in the conventional sense. Something in her own psychological makeup made her seek these people out and proposition them. She thought she saw a quality, a difference, worth recording. ‘It’s what I’ve never seen before that I recognize, she said. ‘I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn’t photograph them.’ While Greenfield isn’t exactly a street photographer, she bears many similarities to this description of Arbus. Like Arbus, Greenfield challenges certain elements in society that she feels drawn to. Her purpose isn’t philanthropic, it is personal. Like Arbus, Greenfield approaches her subject matter on a deep level because she relates to them. I tried my best in my replication to employ my background as a college girl to truly tackle the theme at hand.

A curated selection of my Greenfield-inspired photos:

A curated selection of Greenfield’s photos that served as inspiration for my photo “replications:”

Interview Imitation:

“Last semester, my finance class had 50 guys and 10 girls. I mean, I can’t say I was totally surprised, but really, in 2022, you wouldn’t expect such drastic disparities across gender in business schools.

As a junior at the Ross School of Business pursuing finance, I definitely feel a pressure to be “excellent”. It is never enough to be on par, but to be standout, exceptional, to feel like I belong in the same room as my male peers.

As President of a 135 person business club, the pressure is on. Never send an email with a typo, get a great job, set the members up with outstanding career opportunities, and solve any problem that comes my way.

Oh, and don’t forget to have fun! After all, you’re still just a regular college student at a social Big 10 school.

Just make sure you manage to do all of this without coming across as ‘bossy.'”

– Angela (middle), 20 years old

In the end, I positively came to understand Lauren Greenfield as a woman, photographer, and documenter. She successfully isolates both taboo and everyday moments that speak towards girlhood and the subsequent culture that’s absorbed within girlhood. The intimate scenes she captures speak to a part of society that is generally hidden from the headlines. Her book illustrates a wide range of women, from the 7th grade popular clique in Minnesota to the young girl at an eating clinic facing backwards on a scale to not see her weight. While these girls endure different struggles, they are united by Greenfield’s reflection of modern femininity, and speak to different elements of being a girl, which in the end, is a positive, empowering thing. In other words, she is socially-conscious without forcing a specific agenda. Instead, she exposes these vulnerable moments of girlhood and lets her audience react the way they want to. Greenfield continues this empowering mantra of female empowerment throughout her later work, including her directing of Always “Like a Girl” commercial.

While I wasn’t able to access as large of a sample as Greenfield, I applied her methods, aesthetic, and anthropological approach to each framing of my subjects. As mentioned earlier, I learned that girls weren’t quite willing to be caught on camera during personal, raw moments. They either worried about how the image would affect their reputation, if they looked pretty enough, or if they could retake the image and choose it themselves. In a way, this finding illustrates that societal beauty standards that Greenfield explored over 20 years ago are still very much in place, and affecting college girls daily. If anything, they have only expanded with new technology and social media platforms giving rise to means of comparison. Yet by talking through these concepts through an anthropological yet sensitive approach with my subjects, I was able to explore the cultural elements of girlhood from the eyes of a college girl.

https://www.generation-wealth.com/

https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/photographs-girl-culture-lauren-greenfield

www.momentmag.com/in-the-kingmaker-lauren-greenfield-explores-rewritten-histories/

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/mar/31/photography-lauren-greenfield-best-shot

https://umich.instructure.com/courses/553512/assignments/syllabus (Liz Jobey Reading on Canvas)