Below:
Sara, a model and actress, shops in SoHo, New York, New York.
Sara, 19, walks down the street on her way to an acting audition, New York, New York.
Contemporary girls understand that their power as women will come from their beauty, and that beauty in American culture is defined, increasingly, by a certain body type displayed in particular ways.
Allegra, 4, plays
dress-up.
Right: Sara, New York, New York.
Girls rule better. I love girls. They rock. And they rule. And boys drool.
When guys turn their heads to look at me, they are responding to the fact that I have a pretty face and I’m young and I’m sort of slim. I look like Barbie.... The way beauty helps me is obvious in my career. I wouldn’t be working as a model. I wouldn’t have a manager in L.A., an agent in New York.... Life is definitely easier—while your beauty lasts. People, especially of the opposite sex, treat you better.
I started doing posters and calendars and swimsuit issues and ended up getting the title of “America’s Number One Pinup.” This unknown girl sold more posters than Farrah Fawcett and Marilyn Monroe.... In this business, beauty helps.
I think Girls are powerful. I don’t know if guys think that, but we have power over men…. Because of our sexuality, the way we’re looked at throughout our life. All girls are looked at as sex symbols. I think it’s empowering being a woman.