A Fine Line is a portrait series examining the complex identity shift experienced by pre-adolescent girls standing on the threshold of womanhood. At the time of this work, my own daughter was thirteen — and I was deeply struck by the emotional tension she and her peers were experiencing: the yearning to be seen as older, more mature, more woman than girl.
The portraits unfold in three stages: bare-faced, self-styled, and fully made-up by a professional. These transformations reflect not just surface changes, but a psychological journey — a performance of identity shaped by the cultural noise surrounding them. In today’s world, the line between childhood and adulthood has become increasingly blurred, fueled by the pressures of social media, hyper-feminized marketing, and the premature imposition of adult ideals.
This work is both personal and critical. It is an empathetic response to the early sexualization of girls — and a reflection on the cultural systems that quietly shape who they think they need to become. A Fine Line is about that fragile, fleeting space between authenticity and expectation, innocence and illusion.
