"Teenage Stories."

November 21, 2007 9:32 AM

"Teenage Stories."Award-winning photography by Julia Fullerton-Batten (flash). With interviews (pdf).
posted by Soup (15 comments total)

some really good stuff. thanks!
posted by rooftop secrets at 9:37 AM on November 21, 2007

Very nice!
posted by languagehat at 10:20 AM on November 21, 2007

I liked!
posted by everichon at 10:20 AM on November 21, 2007

I have a really strong "Ew, creepy" reaction to this. Violent and/or sexualized images of over-sized, (pre-?) teen girls is just gross. I don't get it.

I work with teenagers, and this kind of imagery reeks of the creepy magazine ads that mess with young girls' minds and beliefs about their worth beyond the sexual. Ew. EW.

Am thoroughly squicked out.
posted by Stewriffic at 10:38 AM on November 21, 2007

These are cool. And creepy. But, for me, they're creepy in that they're surreal. I don't find them violent or sexualized - just kinda disturbing in a I-just-woke-up-from-the-weirdest-dream way.
posted by rtha at 11:14 AM on November 21, 2007

I enjoyed these, didn't find them oversexualized at all.
posted by Zephyrial at 11:20 AM on November 21, 2007

I get a creepy vibe from some of them and not so much form the others. The first photo in the first link is like "oh great another injured young woman" picture but looking at the rest of them, it's not so much a pervasive theme, though I think it runs through some of the photos. If you read the interviews, she's sort of going for an awkward thing and that may be one of the ways she gets there .

With Teenage Stories, are you making a cultural statement?
I cast girls who are not professional models and whom I don't know, then place them in a model village, an unfamiliar environment, and ask them to pose in a certain way. The result is a degree of awkwardness in their behavior that I consider to be a part of being a teenager. However, as the shoot develops, the girls become more confident and their faces begin to reveal more adult expressions, which I find gives a fascinating insight into their ability to adapt to change.

posted by jessamyn at 11:22 AM on November 21, 2007

Am thoroughly squicked out.

Stewriffic,

I think you're reaching too far - but not as creepily as xmutex feels.

The differences between your undeniably creepy magazine ad and Fullerton-Batten's pix seems pretty clear.

The latter are far more complex because the subject is complex, aren't they?

Unless you're saying any arresting images of developing teen girls outside informative medical literature are squicky?
posted by Jody Tresidder at 11:22 AM on November 21, 2007

Stewriffic is creeping me out by feeling these images are sexualized.

Yeah, exactly. How are these images "sexualized", All they're doing is standing there or sitting around. It looks like one girl fell of a bike, is that supposed to be violent?

As an aside, I wonder how much of these images are "real" and how much of them are "composed" (i.e. photoshoped). I dislike calling photo-illustrations 'photographs', they're not. On the other hand, obviously some of those miniatures are real, but it seems like some are not.

Either way, I do think the pictures are cool.
posted by delmoi at 11:28 AM on November 21, 2007

Maybe I'm just particularly sensitized to these things because as a sex educator, I work with teenagers and see the unfortunate effects that advertising and other media has on young women (and men!).

I did read the part about the awkwardness, and I think that she hit the mark with the photos that aren't creepy. The airport one, the red dress/castle one, the foggy ship one...those are for sure cool.

The ones with girls in bathing suits, school uniforms, mini-dresses bending over, and the ones where the girls (no boys?!) look like they're unconscious are the ones that make me cringe.
posted by Stewriffic at 11:51 AM on November 21, 2007

Have, not has. Oops.
posted by Stewriffic at 11:56 AM on November 21, 2007

I thought these were a bit hit and miss, with ones like the gum or the bike being the weakest. Still, neat stuff.
posted by klangklangston at 12:03 PM on November 21, 2007

For those looking for the slightly creepier and more sexualier, this post reminded me of this site [photoshopped giantesses; some NSFW] (or a site like it I'd seen before). Thanks for the post, though: some interesting images indeed.
posted by not_on_display at 12:28 PM on November 21, 2007

I quite like the series of photos of musicians without instruments on her website. And also the use of windows in her images. Great stuff.
posted by hamfisted at 12:57 PM on November 21, 2007

These are stark and beautiful. Thanks.
posted by nonmerci at 6:48 AM on November 22, 2007