Girlhood studies

Abstract

For generations, referring to a woman as a “girl” has been used to diminish and disempower her. Referring to anyone as “girly” or “like a girl” tends to be attached to a negative connotation, seen especially in the growing up years as children begin to navigate their identity in the complex world. Despite the stereotypes, negative media portrayals, and societal resistance impacting the erosion of femininity in young girls, adult women are now reclaiming the aesthetics of “girl culture” through social media and re-establishing their identities as “girls”. This reclamation can be seen as a form of generational healing as women unlearns the teachings of devaluating of femininity. “Girlhood” is then seen as a social construct, where every girl, her mother, her grandmother, and every woman before that was a girl and is still a girl. Girlhood becomes an invisible string that connects females through the shared experiences in their growing up years. As such, Girlhood Studies serves as a visual commentary on the complexities and experiences of growing up as a girl and navigating present-day societal expectations through the use of photographic mediums. It aims to reclaim, redefine and celebrate the beauty of girlhood.