Learning Dorothy

2025

The series began with a photograph of myself at age twelve, dressed as Dorothy, while her rhythmic gymnastics coach adjusted her body into the “proper” position. What once seemed typical training now reflects a larger lesson in how girls learn to bend and reshape themselves to be seen as graceful, obedient, or pleasing. Conversations with other women revealed how widespread this experience is - how many have been stretched, instructed, and performed into versions of themselves that were never entirely their own. Those shared stories sparked this series.