Print Contemporary Practice

Karis Pilkington-Boyne

The Dichotomy of The Teenage Girl

Through the lens of nostalgia and contemporary cinema, Karis is exploring the complex way in which we form our identities and ideals regarding sex, sexuality, and girlhood. Chastity, abstinence, and the politics of the female body all dictate how we engage in sex and form sexual agency. The debate around how and when The Teenage Girl should reach sexual maturity is still prevalent in today’s media culture. Especially the idea that teen girls must be both sexually liberated and sheltered from the ‘porn culture’ of today.

Exploring the tropes that adolescents feel pressured to conform to and the disappointments in ‘reality’ when real life comes with heavy emotions and consequences not shown in the media that they consume that shapes their perception of what they should be. Capturing moments of clarity amongst the self-policing narcissistic gaze, how to decide whether to give into the fantasy of the teenage girl or to remain unscathed by the media which you consume. Inspired by album art, magazine layouts and movie posters, Karis creates visuals that embody both naïve childhood innocence and seductive, agentic sexuality.

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