In pictures: Getting ready for a girls’ night out

Where does your interest in girlhood stem from?

Eimear Lynch: I’ve always loved being a girl and loved girly things, but I wasn’t always interested in it in my work. I didn’t find it that interesting as a topic, because it was my life and I was more interested in things that were foreign to me. It was only a year or two ago that I really became interested in it, probably because the older I get, the more I appreciate and understand my teenage years.

How did this interest lead you to create Girls’ Night?

Eimear Lynch: I’ve always wanted to do a book and get stuck into a topic. For years I was trying to figure out what the topic would be. Teenage girls in Ireland are fairly undocumented in books and movies, so I felt like it was important to document. I wanted to photograph girls getting ready together because I have such fond memories of doing that when I was a teenager.

Teen girls are often shy around cameras and being photographed. How did you ensure they felt comfortable during the photoshoots?

Eimear Lynch: I was pretty surprised at how comfortable the girls were. They were a bit nervous at the start but after a while it seemed like they forgot I was there. When I’d first arrive, I’d tell them to get ready to go out as they normally would and I would just snap away. I have a very small kit, just a camera and a handheld flash, so I think that helped with being inconspicuous.

How did they feel about being photographed?

Eimear Lynch: It was hard at first to get girls to agree to be photographed, but after I had photographed a few girls and had images to show, it got easier. I think the mothers of the girls had to do a bit of convincing of their daughters to be photographed. They are the kind of photographs that the girls will hopefully appreciate when they’re older looking back at them, but they may not fully appreciate now how precious this time in their lives is.

What did you learn through spending time with these girls and witnessing them navigating this journey?

Eimear Lynch: The girls seemed so confident, it seemed like none of them were worried about anything. I think teenage girls are often portrayed as being boy-obsessed but I found that it is not the case. They would discuss boys, but not in an eager or insecure way, more so in a way that it seemed like they had the boys wrapped around their fingers. 

Some of the older girls I photographed, like the 16 or 17 year olds, seemed a bit more insecure. I think at 13 or 14 you’re so excited to go to a disco and pretend you’re an adult but the older you get, the more complicated life gets.

How did your own experiences of being a teenager differ from what you observed?

Eimear Lynch: They didn’t really differ that much, which is why I loved working on this project, it felt like I was reliving my teenage years. The main difference is that girls now are good at make-up, they all know how to contour and do different eye looks. They also never wear heels, only runners. 

TikTok has added a new level of consumerism to young girls though. They all invest in skincare and have extensive make-up routines. When I was that age, we just wore thick foundation and black eye liner. We looked terrible, but without TikTok and social media, we didn’t know that we were so happy. Whereas now there is a lot more pressure on young girls and they can easily compare themselves to celebs or influencers from around the world.

In some of the photos, the girls are in matching dresses or shoes, it feels like there is almost a uniform – did you feel that as well?

Eimear Lynch: Yes there definitely is a uniform, no one really wants to stand out. They also don’t have a personal style at that age and just want to wear something that looks good and they can get for cheap on Shein. They often swap dresses from disco to disco so everyone gets a go at wearing a specific dress. My friends and I did that too at that age.

The colourful bodycon dress is a rite of passage to womanhood. It’s a stage of growing up.  As soon as you hit 13 or 14 years old and are allowed to go to a disco, you can finally dress like a ‘woman’ and I think that’s exciting for teenagers. 

iPhones are visible in many of the photos. How do you think girlhood has been impacted by technology and social media?

Eimear Lynch: There’s a lot more pressure on girls to look a certain way and there is an overload of information. I don’t know how anyone can find out who they really are when they’re bombarded with so much information and different people’s lives. 

Girls’ Night is available now from IDEA.