Photographer Rania Matar’s practice focuses on portraying girls and young women as they see themselves. To that end, she
encourages them to have a say in their pose, clothes, accessories and surroundings. Her series L’Enfant Femme was inspired by her
own daughters’ evolution from girlhood to adulthood. Here, Darine and Dania (possibly sisters) look confidently at the camera, their
individual senses of self emerging through their body language and dress. Their chosen accessories and matching shoes reflect
their creativity in constructing their own identities and the childlike fun of playing dress-up. Born in Beirut to a Palestinian family, Matar moved to the United States in 1984 during the Lebanese Civil War (1975–90). Originally trained as an architect, she shifted to photography
after the September 11 attacks with the intent to counter negative stereotypes about the Middle East. Primarily photographing girls
and women in the United States and Lebanon, her work highlights shared commonalities across cultural lines.
