My mom said I could be anything I wanted. Except a cheerleader. I wonder if Rebecca Greenfield's mom told her the same. These photos document the tryouts for NFL cheerleading teams and showcase Rebecca's obsession with artifice and beauty.

At fifteen, when I first began to photograph, I made pictures of friends emulating what I saw in the glossy magazines that I studied and devoured. Later, I became less concerned with fashion but ever more interested in gender and its construct. As a result, I have been repeatedly drawn to photographing all stripes of young women as they begin to define themselves and who they are in the world.

Rebecca's obsession with the social constructs of feminity have lead her to this arena of overt sexual exploitation. Though her photos peer behind-the-scenes into a bizarre world of constructed femininity, they remain impressively unbiased. The innocent moments of worried facial expressions, captured in-between the poised glitter and sex, give life to what was solely a mindless body. Rebecca's camera obliterates the fantasy.

There's also something unexpectedly appropriate about the American flag hanging in the background of this photo. Together the cheerleader and the flag have connected as icons. In this identifiable role, these women are no longer human, but objects to be celebrated and upheld as a common dream by our society. Looking at these photos, I can't help wondering if all girls aspire to dance provocatively on the sidelines. However, this series is ultimately not about cheerleading at all, but questioning today's culture of American femininity. It connotes the imagery and stories behind photographer Lauren Greenfield's series Girl Culture, which investigates and interprets self-esteem in American women today in order to break down the media's illusion. Rebecca leaves it to the viewer to determine what part of this American dream is real and what is a construct of imaginary and traditionally justified stereotypes.