‘Who do they dream of becoming?’ Teenage girls in America
As a child from a small Belgian farming town, Eva Verbeeck could only imagine what it was like growing up as an American teen. Then she began photographing them
TL;DR
- Eva Verbeeck's photo book, "America's Girls, On the Edge of a Dream," is an intimate look into the lives of young American women.
- The project originated from Verbeeck's childhood fascination with the cultural mythology of the American teenager.
- Photographed between 2018 and 2024 across 28 states, the project involved hundreds of girls aged six to 18.
- Verbeeck used open calls, schools, and youth organizations to find participants, allowing their voices to shape the work.
- Each girl was asked to bring a personally significant object to the photo shoots.
- The project included interviews and recorded conversations, exploring themes of friendship, family, ambitions, and fears.
- Large-format cameras were used to facilitate a slow and deliberate approach, encouraging conversation between photographer and subject.
- The book explores adolescence as a transitional space between childhood and adulthood, belonging and independence, confidence and uncertainty.