Our Bedroom (2018)
“Our Bedroom” is an intimate, documentary photo series that explores themes of femininity, body image, and privacy via bedroom portraits of girls in their twenties living in Los Angeles, California.
A girl’s bedroom functions as a unique space of feminine power and privacy. It is a sanctuary, an escape from parental control and a judgmental world, a space for unfiltered self-expression and exploration. Behind a locked bedroom door, a girl can escape into a domain ruled by herself alone.
“Our Bedroom” explores this space and its engagement with contemporary femininity, social mores, and body image through intimate portraits of girls in their twenties alone in their bedrooms. Shot entirely with natural light and no editing, the photographs present a glimpse into a quiet, unfiltered space of self-reflection meant for the subject as much as the viewer.
With today’s fast-paced culture of social media platforms, dating apps, and selfies, our definition of privacy and self-identity are rapidly evolving. Our Instagram feed, our Facebook statuses, our Tinder profiles...these are all filtered and carefully curated versions of ourselves that are updated at an alarmingly rapid speed. The notion of a quiet, self-reflective, meditative moment is nearly unheard of now, perhaps even frowned upon. What should be seen as necessary self care is often interpreted as anti-social, secretive, or selfish. “Our Bedroom" attempts to rewrite this narrative and embrace the importance of quiet, self reflection.
The shoot’s form mirrors its function; each individual shoot took at least an hour, often longer, at a quiet, slow pace to encourage self reflection. Each girl wore underwear, undershirts, slips, etc., anything that, outside of the realm of one’s own bedroom, would be considered “revealing”, but in the privacy and comfort of one’s own bedroom acts as a freeing instrument of body awareness and self love.
Ultimately, “our bedroom” strives to explore a unique time, space, and identity: being a girl, dis-crowned of her “teenager” title and navigating adulthood in a fast-paced, modern city. The series simultaneously asks questions and provokes actions. Why are intimate spaces important? What are the implications of entering such a space? When was the last time you were still? Quiet? Vulnerable? Alone, with yourself? It’s worth asking...and answering.
Welcome to our bedroom.