The intent of Black Girl was not to replicate high-end couture-type fashion shoots, that all too often employ copious amounts of fantasy and escapism, with women who looked like they could be models. In fact, I focused on real, everyday women (found on an amateur modeling website) who possess their own unique beauty but may not look like models at all. The possibility that they could be a ‘real’ model, for me, was irrelevant. The portraits are powerful and telling because we witness the diversity and passion of women who share the same dream, whether we, as the viewer, believe it’s a realistic pursuit or not.
Titled after a Lenny Kravitz song, Black Girl fuses fashion, modeling, portraiture, and documentary photography. The portraits are collaborative and so reveal something about the women photographed, both as a person and a model. In that sense, this series is ‘anti-fashion.’ Every model, for instance, is included in how she represents herself. Each wears her own clothes, styles herself, and does her own make-up. The resulting portrait reflects the model’s own personal taste. Fashion frequently uses cliche settings, like the beach, the desert, or the garden, and imbues them with an idyllic or mystical aura. In this series, the models are situated in indoor domestic or outdoor urban environments, often in the same areas where they live. The location itself becomes a supporting character that adds depth to the model as a person. Unencumbered by conventional ideas about fashion and modeling, this approach gives the women a voice and the power to enact their fantasies about beauty, the body, and femininity in ways they can’t in everyday life. Black Girl celebrates each woman’s distinctive beauty and style and offers a unique glimpse into her conception of herself and the importance of pursuing a dream undaunted.