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model: Cindy Sherman; photographer: Cindy Sherman; Comme des Garcons 1994

I actually kind of hate this photo.  It is trotted out in every discussion of the convergence of art and fashion photography in the 90’s (Fashion Photography of the Nineties (1996) and Fashioning Fiction in Photography since 1990 (MoMA, 2004)) because it is from an ad campaign shot by an established artist.  It also seems to critique nineties fashion (i.e. heroin chic) with the fake tattoos and piercing, cigarette, wan complexion, circles under the eyes, glazed expression, imaginary-track-mark-covering gloves and allusions of self-destructiveness (e.g. the finger-gun pointed at her own head).  But to me it completely misses the stripped-down, no-makeup, warts-and-all style of dirty realism (a.k.a. heroin chic).  Sherman could have just taken the picture with harsh lighting and no makeup and her being 40 would have made her look terrible enough without all the mean-spirited theatrics.  Of course, I know Sherman is all about theatrics and props and prosthetics and makeup at this point, but I much prefer her Untitled Film Stills.