I am...

The life of a fifteen year old can be stressful. Or so they think. It’s their last year before they become what they consider to be an adult. Their trying to find themselves within their social surroundings of peer pressure, but also pressure of school life, as a common question is “what are you going to do when you grow up?” They try to act older then they are, but inside they are really just children finding their paths.

For this series of work, I’ve decided to take a step back from Photoshop and use the camera as the only medium to create work. I hung out with Rachel a lot more, not only helping my work but our relationship. From this I’ve witnesses her shopping for clothes, trying things on and seeing what she makes of her body. Her yearn to want to perfect the art of makeup as she constantly wants research’s make up techniques online, and makes herself look ‘presentable’ in a socially particular way everyday. She’s also turned into a gym fanatic, trying to change her body to suit what the ideal body shape she’s read about is for her. The fear of putting on weight, going up from a size six is terrifying to her.

From these images I have seen a realisation. You see the concentration in her face as she focuses on getting her makeup right, yet there is a wariness that the camera is on her. It’s evidence of such pressure that is set on teenage girls. This is what I like about the outcome of my images, which you can still read it in a different way each time you see it - you learn something different.

 

This piece is my A2 hanging piece for our Clare street exhibition