Ang, our Sweltering Celt has given us a theme of Photos this week. Although micro…this is no fantasy. Forgive me for wandering aimlessly among the detritus of my life.
The Before: A girlchild. Innocent. Wide open world filled with wonder. 14 years old. Unkempt hair, big glasses, a mouthful of braces. She’s had her first kiss. Her 13th birthday party. The boy had been eating M&Ms and when his tongue pushed into her mouth she pulled away with particles of candy coated shell and the taste of chocolate lingered rather unpleasantly. In the pictures she is smiling, still so young, untouched, happy and unaware.
The After: Three shots in quick succession. She is 15. Slim hips tucked into boys Levis. A red and white baseball tee. Her hair is blow-dried and feathered. She plays with the camera. She is cocky. In one shot her back is to the camera and she looks over her shoulder with a look befitting a much older woman. She already knows the power her body wields. She is cynical, hard. The wall she has built is almost palpable. In one short year she has become something other.
The Now: Digital shots of full breasts, sleek thighs, costumes and wigs and expensive lingerie. Provocative, evocative, erotic. She is older now than her mother was when the After photos were taken. She has lived a life in the aftermath. She has used her body over and over again to get attention. She knows now that she exudes sex but not because of this body. This body has borne a child, grown heavy, become tired. Her nearly suffocating sexuality comes with the wisdom of the ages. The blissful unawareness of the before and the nightmarish hell of the after.
These are my snapshots. This is my life.
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Scintillectual 
That is really cool. Love this use of the theme.
Your description of each photograph is as clear as seeing the pictures themselves. What a great way to tell the story of your life.
Like the concept of photos as a prototype of life. What a sequence of events, and what a journey.
Very cool.