Babe

by Petra Collins (Editor), Jamia Wilson (Contributor)

Curated by one of today’s most sought-after photographers, this collection of work by young female artists captures the voices and visions that are shaping a generation of women.

21-year-old Canadian photographer Petra Collins is leading the way in a contemporary girl power revolution that proves feminism and sexuality aren’t mutually exclusive. "Babe" includes work by Collins as well as over 30 artists who have been part of her online collective "The Ardorous". Though their work is aesthetically varied, it all represents a current zeitgeist characterized by explorations of female identity, scrutinization of the role of the Internet and social media, and a penchant for pastel colors. The artists in the book, such as Arvida Bystrom, Sandy Kim, Harley Weir, Jeanette Hayes, and Kristie Muller, hail from a variety of places, including New York, London, Moscow, Stockholm, Los Angeles, Berlin, and Toronto. Together they reflect an all-accepting, affirming, distinctly female point of view that teens and young women everywhere can respond to. With a Foreword by Tavi Gevinson, writer, actress, fashion blogger, and creator of the online magazine Rookie, this is an inspiring collection for a new generation of creative, forward thinking women.

Genres: Art, Photography, Feminism, Nonfiction, Cultural, Coffee Table Books

176 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2015

Reviews

[Allyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty cover, cute title. Curated by an insanely trendy artist, Petra Collins. Currently she's Alessandro Michele's muse and collaborator with Selena Gomez. The introductions by Tavi and Petra herself were well-written essays and led with promise. Unfortunately, many of the images seemed to blur together into what seemed to be one type of teenage experience. Some of the concepts were clever, others heavily drew upon feminists artists of the past, presently nothing particularly new and/or exciting. Highlights for me would be Nakeya Brown, Maudie Cousins, Britte Geijer, and Minna Gilligan. I would have appreciated a bit of commentary to accompany the works by Petra or the artists. The book seemed to be lacking and rather could have been a well-curated Tumblr blog. I commend Petra for taking the time to highlight feminine artists who work in the feminine space. The book is worth checking out from a library, but not (in my opinion) with owning for the coffee table.

[James Payne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Body hair, bodily functions, technological signifiers: mix with young, upper middle class, stereotypically attractive white women: repeat, sit back and sell.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

big up Norman for buying me this way back in 2017 thank you i love you.
Beautifully expresses girlhood and coming of age in the 21st century through several different artists. this has been one of my most treasured possessions since forever, so integral to the person i have become. 🙏🏼

[Isabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

petra and tavi running tumblr like the marines

[Rachel Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I'm not artistic enough... But I think that this book had the potential to deliver so much while commentating on being a young woman today... And it just didn't. In my opinion most of the photographs in here didn't do their job in delivering the experience of the teenage girl/womanhood. A lot of these photographs just made me go "huh?" There is so much other awesome art from TheArdorous that I think should have been put in here! Oh well. I still love Petra Collins anyway

[menna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly love this book so much! I bought this book a while ago and have loved it ever since. Although some of the images are very graphic (which I don't have an issue with but some people might) and others are quite cliche, the majority of them are beautiful images that also have empowering messages.

[Rochelle]

This collection is beautiful, eye-opening, and works hard to break down many stigmas. It is a staple for feminists and contemporary feminist artists. I do feel that much of the collection would benefit from focusing less on white, able-bodied slim women in its depictions, but that can be said almost anything and everything today.

[Lulu Fitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some great moments. Felt repetitive. Definitely is an accurate time capsule of the soft grunge 2015 tumblr aesthetic. Overall, it felt quite surface level; nothing groundbreaking or particularly exciting. Also depicted a one-sided experience of girl-hood. Not much work from places other than NYC, LA or Toronto. I love Petra and Tavi tho <3

[Kayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was disgusting. I love art, but not this.