When it comes to exploring the female gaze in photography, so many talented photographers have emerged in the past decade, proving that now truly is the time for women behind the lens. One of these is photo editor Elizabeth Renstrom (formerly of the New Yorker and Vice), who is creative, versatile and no stranger to the Barbiecore palette—at least in her latest exhibition, “Yummy,” on view at the artist-run exhibition space Baxter St at Camera Club of New York through February 3.

For the exhibition, Renstrom, who published her first book Carnal Knowledge in 2020, tapped into nostalgia, girlhood and media for “Yummy,” which is built around a fictional magazine, Yummy (Teen Edition), she co-created with designer Elena Foraker and writer Coralie Kraft using artificial intelligence. The resultant one-off publication calls to mind classic teen tabloids like Tiger Beat—or more recently, CosmoGirl—with fashion spreads, beauty ads, advice columns and heartthrobs and serves as the grounding core of the show.

Renstrom then created a photo series around Yummy set in an anonymous teen girl’s bright pink bedroom. Picture 1990s-style clothes, cluttered inspo pin boards, posters on the walls and, of course, issues of the magazine. It makes sense........

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