The photographs in this book will haunt you for a very long time, so be prepared. It's also the quantity that makes it so gripping.
Brilliant pictures, yes. Very glamourous; I am sure the girls and their families will love this book. But there are different ways the pictures can be interpreted
and that makes it such a good book.
There are the names and ages of the girls but they don't match. You have to do a double take: This girl is 6 years old??? Three???
You could also see it as a study on the early age society starts demanding girls to be obsessed with their looks.
Look for yourself, and wonder: Should this be allowed? What is this teaching the girls? At the same time you will see beautiful pictures of beautiful girls, too much make up and a lot of fake smiles. Very intriguing and thought provoking. I loved it!
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Reviews with images
Miniature dolls
A remarkable slice of pure Americana beautifully captured by photographer Susan Anderson. Where else in the world could you find parents (mostly mothers I suppose) who would subject their kids to this bizarre pageantry style. The book's title refers to an offshoot of the youth beauty pageant circuit that focusses on extravagant costumes, hairstyles and makeup. It's the hair and makeup that that gives photos a peculiar edge: the trappings of adult commercial sex appeal have been carefully added to young unblemished faces to make them something that is totally un-childlike.The ages of the girls, even tots, in the photos range from an eighteen month Gracie to a very adult looking Devan at thirteen. The animated poses, which would look quite normal in the adult glamor market, here only reinforce how artificial it all is. Some of the facial expressions suggest that these youngsters might be thinking: just what am I doing here looking like this!I was a bit disappointed with the books production (so four stars). Great photos have been handled in a rather dull way. They are mostly on right-hand pages but don't bleed off the page because of a white strip across the bottom for a caption, left-hand pages just have the girl's names centered in a decorative typeface. Really the captions should have been centered under their names to eliminate the white strip and allow the photos to bleed off the page. The back of the book has twelve pages of a 'High glitz style guide' with an intriguing photo on page 141 with a close-up of a smiling mouth and the caption `Flippers: false front teeth veneers'.Susan Anderson's photographic style perfectly captures the contestants from this artificial beauty pageant environment and the images say so much more than just what is before your eyes.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2009
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2012
A remarkable slice of pure Americana beautifully captured by photographer Susan Anderson. Where else in the world could you find parents (mostly mothers I suppose) who would subject their kids to this bizarre pageantry style. The book's title refers to an offshoot of the youth beauty pageant circuit that focusses on extravagant costumes, hairstyles and makeup. It's the hair and makeup that that gives photos a peculiar edge: the trappings of adult commercial sex appeal have been carefully added to young unblemished faces to make them something that is totally un-childlike.
The ages of the girls, even tots, in the photos range from an eighteen month Gracie to a very adult looking Devan at thirteen. The animated poses, which would look quite normal in the adult glamor market, here only reinforce how artificial it all is. Some of the facial expressions suggest that these youngsters might be thinking: just what am I doing here looking like this!
I was a bit disappointed with the books production (so four stars). Great photos have been handled in a rather dull way. They are mostly on right-hand pages but don't bleed off the page because of a white strip across the bottom for a caption, left-hand pages just have the girl's names centered in a decorative typeface. Really the captions should have been centered under their names to eliminate the white strip and allow the photos to bleed off the page. The back of the book has twelve pages of a 'High glitz style guide' with an intriguing photo on page 141 with a close-up of a smiling mouth and the caption `Flippers: false front teeth veneers'.
Susan Anderson's photographic style perfectly captures the contestants from this artificial beauty pageant environment and the images say so much more than just what is before your eyes.
The ages of the girls, even tots, in the photos range from an eighteen month Gracie to a very adult looking Devan at thirteen. The animated poses, which would look quite normal in the adult glamor market, here only reinforce how artificial it all is. Some of the facial expressions suggest that these youngsters might be thinking: just what am I doing here looking like this!
I was a bit disappointed with the books production (so four stars). Great photos have been handled in a rather dull way. They are mostly on right-hand pages but don't bleed off the page because of a white strip across the bottom for a caption, left-hand pages just have the girl's names centered in a decorative typeface. Really the captions should have been centered under their names to eliminate the white strip and allow the photos to bleed off the page. The back of the book has twelve pages of a 'High glitz style guide' with an intriguing photo on page 141 with a close-up of a smiling mouth and the caption `Flippers: false front teeth veneers'.
Susan Anderson's photographic style perfectly captures the contestants from this artificial beauty pageant environment and the images say so much more than just what is before your eyes.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2011
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2014
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2013
