Belgian Photographer Spends Six Years Photographing 400 American Girls and the Objects They Treasure
Capturing 400 American Girls and Their Most Meaningful Objects
Eva Verbeeck, who grew up in a small Belgian farming town, was captivated by the idea of the "American teenager" long before she ever set foot in the U.S. Over six years she traveled to 28 states, photographing more than 400 girls aged eight to 18 on large-format analog film. Each was invited to bring an object of personal meaning — or to come with nothing at all. The portraits are collected in her new book, America's Girls, On the Edge of a Dream, published by GOST books.
Growing up in a small town in rural Belgium, my understanding of America and girlhood was shaped almost entirely through magazines, films, music videos, and pop culture imagery. The idea of the 'American girl' existed in my imagination long before I ever came to the United States, built from fragments of images, fantasies, and stories that felt impossibly far away from where I grew up.