UNDERESTIMATED: The Lives of Teen Girls > UNREST

(Reflections of Girls in Bathrooms)

The secret lives of teenage girls, inner battles, bullying, and peer pressure, often are played out in restrooms. Restrooms offer a place of respite from boys, adults and crowds. Restrooms can also become places of stress, as they are unsupervised zones where girls are privy to fights.

This series of work is driven by issues facing teenage girls. It began with an anonymous survey addressing teenage girls’ self-image, beauty standards, and peer relationships. Many of the young women document stories of girls using restrooms as places to find a private moment to cry, self-judge, or even change into clothes unsanctioned at home. Because the survey is anonymous, the girls answer with unbridled honesty about the pain they feel for one another, as well as the pain they inflict on each other and themselves.

When I approach the young women about photographing them for this series, most jump at the chance to model. I tell them I’m not interested in directing their poses but am instead producing their stories. Given the chance to shed light on a secret part of their lives, they often choose to reenact painful situations experienced by other girls. The voices of this conflicted generation, often perceived as self-absorbed, tend to fall on deaf ears.

If you would like to be a model for this series of work you must sign the contract below:

Model Contract