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Lauren Greenfield

Girl Culture Hardcover – September 1, 2002

by Lauren Greenfield (Author)

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Renowned photographer Lauren Greenfield has won acclaim and awards for her studies of youth culture. In Girl Culture, she combines a photojournalist’s sense of story with fine-art composition and color to create an astonishing and intelligent exploration of American girls. Her photographs provide a window into the secret worlds of girls’ social lives and private rituals, the dressing room and locker room, as well as the iconic subcultures of the popular clique: cheerleaders, showgirls, strippers, debutantes, actresses, and models. With 100 hypnotic photographs, 20 interviews with the subjects, and an introduction by foremost historian of American girlhood Joan Jacobs Brumberg, Greenfield reveals the exhibitionist nature of modern femininity and how far it has drifted from the feminine ideologies of the past.

Print length

156 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Chronicle Books
Publication date

September 1, 2002
Grade level

8 and up
Reading age

13 years and up
Dimensions

10.4 x 0.8 x 12.4 inches
ISBN-10

0811837904
ISBN-13

978-0811837903
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Greenfield's stark photographs of girls and young women doing everything from practicing Tae-Bo in Beverly Hills to performing lap dances in Las Vegas aren't for the faint of heart. But the collection is so hard to put down that it's not destined to languish on a coffee table, either. Images of teenagers at weight loss camp or getting ready for a quinceanera (a 15th birthday ritual in the Hispanic community) come to life thanks to frank, first-person monologues from the girls themselves. A photograph of Erin, 24, getting "blind-weighed" (with her back to the scale) at an eating disorder clinic in Coconut Creek, Fla., is accompanied by this hair-raising commentary: "I'm known for my eating disorder. It's my identity.... My nickname is Itty-Bitty, so what am I going to be without it? It's what makes me special. So I would just be ordinary without it. And for me, that's hard to admit." Although much of the text focuses on typical (but still depressing) teen issues such as peer pressure and drug abuse, readers should hang in there for glimmers of optimism and even brilliance. Jessica, 20, a member of Stanford University's women's swim team, says, "I think any female athlete has a sense of being kind of like Wonder Woman. You are able to do things that are a little closer to superhuman than normal girls. There's a little bit of Wonder Woman in everyone." Indeed, Greenfield's unflinching portraits, which will be at New York's Pace/MacGill Gallery this fall and will travel to the West Coast, are a testimony to that spirit.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

American girlhood ain't what it used to be. Maybe there are pockets of girls out there who still revel in the "Little House on the Prairie" books or dress up their dolls or run lemonade stands. But they aren't catching the eyes of sociologists, who seem to agree that girls today are growing up in a hyper-sexualized peer pressure-cooker — and they don't show up in "Girl Culture," a new book from photographer Lauren Greenfield (Chronicle Books; $40.00). Even the youngest girls in Greenfield's gritty, gorgeous portraits are far too busy dressing up like Barbie dolls to play with them.
A gentle warning: this is not a book for parents desperate to maintain their naivete about what's happening in their daughters' lives: these accounts show you more than you've ever imagined about the sexual and social habits of girls. Greenfield's photographs are accompanied by narratives from the girls themselves; the stories they tell, which are unflinchingly raw and honest, are often difficult to read. No matter how well you think you understand what goes on in adolescent life, it can be shocking to read first-hand accounts of the jealousy, pettiness, meanness and general anxiety that characterize female adolescence.
The girls in this book range in age from pre-school to post-grad. And Greenfield makes good use of the insecurities of each age, zeroing in on the shame of an 11-year-old at fat camp, emphasizing the anxiety of an up-and-coming actress standing outside her trailer, highlighting the terrible uncertainty of a teenage girl who is banished, by virtue of her rounded face and curly dark hair, from the blonde, slim world of the popular girls.
While it will come as no surprise to learn that beauty and appearance feature prominently the minds of most girls, Greenfield's portraits reveal the force with which the need to be desired, even objectified, in a very adult way is expressed, as well as the unexpected ambivalence with which that objectification, once achieved, is met. The book's teenage and pre-teen girls put on the trappings of adult sexuality — the makeup, the hairstyles, the clothing — but they aren't quite sure what to do with themselves once they're done. One series of photos shows a group of 7th-grade friends getting ready to go to a party; Hannah, a member of the group, talks with aching honesty about the dichotomy of appearance and reality. "I've been approached by people who think I'm older... It makes me kind of uncomfortable, because I might look older, but underneath it all, I'm only 13. It's kind of scary. It's a hard feeling to not know where you fit in yet."
While some of the girls' attempts at premature adulthood are wryly amusing, others are nearly tragic. Four-year-old Allegra is the youngest subject of Greenfield's camera; she poses on several pages wearing makeup, a too-large pink leotard and gold pumps. The images are eerily reminiscent of Jon-Benet Ramsey's now immortal beauty queen poses.
If there's anything to learn from this book, it's that there's simply no escape from the ordeals of girl culture. "Fat" girls get picked on, too-skinny girls get laughed at, popular girls spend their time worrying they'll stop being popular. Even beautiful girls suffer: Sara, a lanky, blonde 19-year-old model living in New York, describes an episode where a businessman approaches her on the sidewalk, puts his hand on her shoulder and asks to take a picture with her. When she brushes him off, he retaliates. "Five seconds later, I feel another tap on my shoulder," she recounts. "I turn around, and the same guy shoved me on the pavement." Sara doesn't seem particularly angry or upset about this incident, just sad.
And sadness is a common underlying theme of these stories; while many of the girls put on the perky, insouciant faces they feel they're expected to wear, their words betray a longing to be superficially different — smaller, taller, richer, blonder. The hierarchy of acceptable attributes is spelled out by one self-described Southern Belle, who prizes her "Southern-girl standards" above (almost) everything else. "I would rather be dumb than a slut," she announces, "but I would rather be a slut than be fat or ugly." -Time

Greenfield's stark photographs of girls and young women doing everything from practicing Tae-Bo in Beverly Hills to performing lap dances in Las Vegas aren't for the faint of heart. But the collection is so hard to put down that it's not destined to languish on a coffee table, either. Images of teenagers at weight loss camp or getting ready for a quinceanera (a 15th birthday ritual in the Hispanic community) come to life thanks to frank, first?person monologues from the girls themselves. A photograph of Erin, 24, getting "blind-weighed" (with her back to the scale) at an eating disorder clinic in Coconut Creek, Fla., is accompanied by this hair?raising commentary "I'm known for my eating disorder. It's my identity.... My nickname is Itty-Bitty, so what am I going to be without it? It's what makes me special. So I would just be ordinary without it. And for me, that's hard to admit." Although much of the text focuses on typical (but still depressing) teen issues such as peer pressure and drug abuse, readers should hang in there for glimmers of optimism and even brilliance. Jessica, 20, a member of Stanford University's women's swim team, says, "I think any female athlete has a sense of being kind of like Wonder Woman. You are able to do things that are a little closer to superhuman than normal girls. There's a little bit of Wonder Woman in everyone." Indeed, Greenfield's unflinching portraits, which will be at New York's Pace/MacGill Gallery this fall and will travel to the West Coast, are a testimony to that spirit. -Publishers Weekly

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chronicle Books; 1st edition (September 1, 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 156 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0811837904
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0811837903
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 years and up
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 8 and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.02 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.4 x 0.8 x 12.4 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,386,089 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #487 in Photojournalism (Books)
- #1,138 in Photo Essays (Books)
- #110,528 in Reference (Books)

Customer Reviews:
96 ratings

About the author

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Lauren Greenfield

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Acclaimed Emmy-winning documentary photographer/filmmaker, Lauren Greenfield is considered a preeminent chronicler of youth culture, gender and consumerism, as a result of her monographs Girl Culture, Fast Forward, THIN, Generation Wealth and other photographic works, which have been widely published, exhibited, and collected by museums around the world, including the Art Institute of Chicago, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the J. Paul Getty Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), Smithsonian, the International Center of Photography, the Center for Creative Photography, and the Museum of Fine Arts (Houston).

Recently, Greenfield directed the record-breaking Superbowl and viral spot “#LikeAGirl” (90+ million downloads and 12 billion impressions) which was voted by YouTube as the third best ad of the decade. Sweeping the advertising awards of 2015, Greenfield was named the #1 director and Most Awarded Director by AdAge, the first woman in commercial history to ever top this list, the spot won a 2015 Emmy, 14 Lions (including the Titanium Lion) at the Cannes Festival of Creativity, 7 Clios, 5 Art Directors, 8 pencils at the D & AD Awards, and the Best in Show at the AICP Awards, upon which it became part of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) collection. Additionally, ESPN has named her one of their Top 25 Impact Influencers of 2015 and the recently released sequel “Unstoppable Like a Girl” is one of the top 10 YouTube ads of 2015, having received 80 million impressions to date.

Her latest feature-length film, The Queen of Versailles was the Opening Night film of Sundance 2012 where it won the Best Director Award in the U.S. Documentary Competition. The Queen of Versailles went on to box office success and critical acclaim, including winning the Brisbane International Film Festival Prize, and nominations for Best Documentary by the Directors Guild, International Documentary Association, Critics Choice, and the London Critics Circle Film Awards. Lauren previously directed three award-winning documentary films – THIN (HBO), kids + money (HBO) and Beauty CULTure (Annenberg Space for Photography) that opened at Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals. She is currently directing two feature length documentary films, Generation Wealth (Amazon Studios, Fall 2017) and Fantasy Island (Showtime Networks, 2018).

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, Greenfield started her career as an intern for National Geographic after graduating from Harvard in 1987. Her photographs have regularly appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Time, GQ, and The Guardian, and have won many awards including the ICP Infinity Award, the Hasselblad Grant, the Community Awareness Award from the National Press Photographers, and the Moscow Biennial People’s Choice Award. She lectures at museums and universities around the world and serves on the Advisory Committee of Harvard University’s Office for the Arts.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

96 global ratings

5 star		79%
4 star		15%
3 star		3%
2 star		1%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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One Fancy Angel

A photographic study with powerful impact........

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 21, 2003

Verified Purchase

I was walking through a local bookstore when the cover of this book caught my eye, and I was impacted immediately. The cover photo alone evoked a huge number of emotions within me, and I just had to buy the book, though I have never purchased a book of photographs before. I took down the title and author, and ordered this book from Amazon.
I am not surprised that this book evoked such strong emotions from the reviewers I've read on here so far. This is an astonishingly powerful book, and I've never seen anything like it. The incredibly evocative photographs are often coupled with a monologue by girls/young women. Both the photos and the monologues are exceptional looks deep into the psyches of girls and young women. There are average girls, popular girls, Latina girls, African American girls, girls at weight loss camp, girls at an eating disorder clinic, nude girls lap dancing....every kind of young woman imaginable. The photos hit me right in the gut....and I am shocked that I've never before heard of this author. Sometimes, the photos were disturbing, but only because they probably hit "too close to home." Sometimes, the photos were lovely and peaceful. Sometimes, the photos were shocking and beautiful at the same time.
I don't like to "tell the whole story" in my reviews; I think that completely spoils the surprise element for someone reading a book such as this for the first time. So...let me just say that this book of photos is well worth the money; I'd recommend it to any woman who is well beyond her "young woman" years.

42 people found this helpful

Fascinating book by a great talent

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 20, 2014

Verified Purchase

The first time I saw the work of Lauren Greenfield was when I told a friend that I'd be happy to see any film she liked, and we saw "The Queen of Versailles." I hated it! For my taste, too much like a reality TV show about a family I'd never want to meet. Then I read reviews that named her as an important photographer - and I was studying photography - so I bought this book. The photographs are very interesting, and so are the first person writings by their subjects. I'll make an odd comparison with a classically great photo book: "A Proust Souvenir." That book has beautiful old photographs of society people whom Proust used as models for his fiction, together with interesting write-ups about the photos, but they are nothing like the writeups by Greenfield's subjects (which might have been edited, since they are very good.) Greenfields superb photos raise curiosity about the subjects, and it is fascinating to read what they have to say about themselves. This book covers an intesting range of attitudes and ways of life within the "Girl Culture" world and I recommend it highly.

4 people found this helpful

One-sided view of beauty

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 15, 2016

Verified Purchase

A bit interesting to read at look at at first but as a woman, it quickly got old. Someone not living in the United States who was given this book might come to the conclusion that all U.S. girls, insecure, catty and valuing beauty of all else, growing up to be women who value the same. A better title? Material Girl Culture. Almost every single story and picture showed a bias towards fitting in (as girls) for their friends or standing out (as women) to catch a man, being sexually active (and desired) and/or being beautiful. You mean pre-teens to college-age girls are insecure? You're kidding! Being sarcastic here. After a while I stopped reading the entries. And don't mistake "girl" to mean girl. Grown women were shown primping at photo shoots, strip clubs, social events and fitness competitions. What would have made it more interesting? Girls in study groups and going to Girl Scout meetings (yes, Girl Scouts still exists) and women volunteering, attending church and going to professional jobs. A woman in doctors scrubs applying makeup? More interesting. I'm not denying that females desire to be pretty and beauty can get you things but what could have made this book more interesting are pictures showing beauty beyond the face and body.

15 people found this helpful

Great condition

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 9, 2020

Verified Purchase

I love this book mainly because of the images/ photography and I recommend this book for all females. Despite this book being kind of old, I wasn't sure about it being in good condition but I was shocked to see how well the condition of the book actually was. I recommend using this seller for books. The service and the product was great.

2 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 1, 2021

Verified Purchase

Good book

2 people found this helpful

What It's Like for a Girl

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 16, 2004

Verified Purchase

I first saw this exhibit at the CCP at the University of Arizona, when I was 18 years old. Since then, I have not been able to erase Greenfield's images from my mind. Not only are her photographs beautiful and powerful, but the testimonials that go with each photo are heartbreaking. After I saw the exhibit, I had to have the book... but I didn't end up buying it until years later. I was happy to find that the book has expanded content--more pictures, longer testimonials, an introduction by JJ Brumburg (excellent!) and an essay written by Lauren Greenfield herself. I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the psychology and sexuality of America's female population.

8 people found this helpful

Kimberly M. Fairchild

Every picture tells a story...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 21, 2003

Verified Purchase

Of course, it is a cliche that every picture tells a story and a picture is worth a thousand word, but "Girl Culture" can't be described any other way. The pictures so well illustrate the struggles and concerns of today's teenage girl. The dramatic illustrations and accompanying stories prove just how hard it is to grow up female and maintain a sense of self and high self-esteem. Some of the pictures and stories will break your heart, others will inspire anger and disgust, but over all the emotions evoked by this book are powerful and motivating. This book is a must for understanding the lives of teenage girls.

18 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 27, 2013

Verified Purchase

I bought this as an xmas present for my girlfriend who has become a big fan of lauren greenfield the last couple years while studying photography in college. The book was in pretty rough shape, but the pages themselves are nice and large with really cool full color pictures. Definitely get this if you can pick it up for a decent price.

2 people found this helpful

Top reviews from other countries

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Matthew Chattle

Lauren Greenfield Girl Culture

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 9, 2021

Verified Purchase

I have Generation Wealth and Fast Forward so I knew I had to get this as well. This is an insight into a time and place and the world of girl culture. It’s more than that though, the interviews are a window into how they think and how society has affected them and their aspirations and choices. The pictures and the words work together brilliantly. What they say can be shocking and surprising, and tells you a lot about the environment where they have grown up, fascinating anthropological study, great photography. Buy this before it’s gone!

One person found this helpful

Brook

IN LOVE

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

In LOVE with this book. I just think it opens my eyes to how much I can relate to it’s content! Mind blown and just feel a nostalgic pull towards each photograph. A must buy!

mrs lorraine t thompson

A great and thought provoking read for anyone with daughters

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 4, 2020

Verified Purchase

Fascinating and well worth getting

Federico

ottimo

Reviewed in Italy 🇮🇹 on January 9, 2020

Verified Purchase

una spedizione veloce e professionale. Un libro è di buona qualità, una buona scelta.

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Mate Soos

Amazing book

Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on June 27, 2014

Verified Purchase

Wow, great photos breathtaking interviews, the guts of American girl culture. The author does not draw any conclusions, the interviews are natural and clean. The truth is what's really shocking. Wouldn't have regretted paying 100 EUR for it.

One person found this helpful

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