No matter how self-assured and certain we might feel now, we were all 13 once. Riddled with anxiety, acne and hormone-induced angst, the topple into teenagehood is a time most of us would rather forget, and resign to realm of de-tagged photos in the depths of Facebook and that brace-ridden school pic on Grandma’s dresser. That is, unless you’re photographer Anne-Lena Michel.
Born from the 2001 photographs she took on her year au-pairing in Paris, Michel’s project Treize (or “13” in French) is a candid celebration of carefree youth and an ode to coming of age. Forgoing tantrums and train-tracks in favour of silliness and self-experimentation, Michel’s nostalgic photographs centre around Léa, a bourgeois Parisian school girl (and certified diva), as she explores her personality through costume, make-up and, of course, drama. As she morphs from sassy beach babe to grieving widow, Léa embodies the playful nature of pre-pubescent performance, and reveals different parts of her own identity in the process. And while the resulting photographs are resoundingly fun, they’re more than just a girl playing dress-up; they’re a gentle reminder to take pride in the awkward teens we once were, because they’ve shaped the people we’ve become.
In light of the photobook’s release, we caught up with Michel to find out more about Léa and the magic of that formative year.
You went to Paris in 2001, when you were only 20 yourself, what drove you to do that?
I’d just graduated from school and it was clear to me that I wanted to spent some time abroad before starting my university studies. I was a curious and adventurous young woman, a francophile and very interested in photography, fashion, literature and music. Paris just appealed to me. I worked as an au pair to earn my living, studied french at the Sorbonne, spent a lot of time in museums and small cinemas and took a lot of photos.
How did you find the family and the city?
The family I worked with was a very open minded, educated and culturally interested one, so it was easy to feel comfortable with them. I instantly fell in love with the charming city, loaded with cultural and historical wealth, its overwhelming beauty and almost muesum-like vibe.
And what about Léa, what was your relationship with her like?
I felt almost like a big sister to Léa, as there were only seven years between us. When I rediscovered the images I took of her at that time, I was touched by the intimacy and trust one can feel between me — the photographer — and her. I felt it could have also been a close friend that portrayed Léa during that period.
When did you first start photographing her?
I photographed Léa throughout the whole year that I spent within her family. It started as a kind of game or free-time activity. We would use the clothes, cosmetics, accessories, etc., we found around the home, belonging to Léa, her mother, or me. Léa chose her own costumes and came up with the poses herself. Sometimes she simply wore her costumes without makeup; sometimes she’d sit on a sofa in the living room, in heavy makeup. How old she looks in photographs depends on her facial expressions and gestures, which appear and then vanish in an instant.
And was photography something that you were already doing, or already knew you wanted to do at this point?
I already knew that I wanted to become a photographer at that time. At the age of 16 I started photographing with my father’s old Asahi Pentax Spotmatic and developed the black and white films by myself, printing the photographs in the small laboratory my father had installed in my parents’ cellar. In the beginning, I wanted to become a war photographer but throughout many years working with and thinking about photography, my interest within that medium has changed quite radically.
The photographs in the book are very candid portrayals of femininity and experimentation. What kind of characters did Léa like to imitate most, and where were they coming from?
I think there weren’t any particular characters that Léa tried to imitate — the music that was popular at that time in France, like Alicia Keys, Mary J.Blige or MC Solaar, definitely had an influence on Léa’s style-choices. She was a self-confident, funny girl that took the challenges of that early teenage age with humour. Also my interest in fashion photography at that time (I was a big Juergen Teller fan) and reading magazines like i-D and THE FACE definitely contributed to the choice of her looks and aesthetics of the images that I took.
What were you like at 13?
I was a thoughtful grunge girl looking like a tall and skinny boy. I lived in a small village in southern Germany, was crazy about my two rabbits, read a lot and listened to Nirvana songs all day.
Why do you think 13 is such a delicate age?
13 is the initiation of your teenage years. At that age you start developing your own interests, questioning a lot of things and building your own character. A lot of physical and emotional transformation is taking place – and that causes a lot of insecurity but also releases enormous amounts of physical and mental energy. This radical body and mind development results in your future-adult, more or less mature personality. To me this “revolutionary” era in human life is very interesting.
Are you still in touch with Lea and the family now?
Absolutely. We’re still in contact and whenever I’m in Paris, I try to see Léa and her family.
Treize is published by DISTANZ and available to purchase now.