It’s no secret that San Franciscans are a fickle bunch when it comes to food. I’ve never encountered so many fads and so many eating restrictions all in one place. I stumbled upon Los Angeles-based photographer Stephanie Gonot’s project Fad Diets and was delighted by her playful treatment of such eating trends. The series is a visual riff on the measurement and quantity-based tracking methods that many diets use.
I asked Stephanie a few questions about her work:
What inspired the series?
I had been making one-off quirky food photos for a little while and wanted to come up with a theme to work within. At the time a friend had been describing her troubles with the master cleanse, which isn’t really a “diet” but it got me thinking about weight loss and all the silly and unhealthy things people do to their bodies in order to shed pounds.
The photos are of diets that seem really difficult to follow, but they are presented in such beautiful, saccharine-colored environments. Is this disconnect intentional? If so, what are you communicating with this visual dissonance?
Another thing I was thinking about at the time (though I’m not sure it shows in the final product) was awkward food/product photography… Like the kind where you know they’re trying to make the food look good but it still just looks a little off. I was trying to make the diets look appealing as a meal, which is an absurd thing to do and in the end makes the food look a little strange and maybe sinister.
I’ve dieted a few times and had to track what I ate. I read that this series is an exploration of how visual tracking might influence behavior. After the project, did you try tracking what you ate visually? Did it influence your behavior?
Hahaha! I know someone published a book of pictures of all the food they ate for an entire year, but this sounds like it would be incredibly difficult for me. Especially since I like carefully arranging the food in my pictures. ;) So I don’t think this is something I would ever try, however, I do think that just making this little fad diet series has influenced my behavior. I am now totally uninterested in trying any diets or quick weight loss programs. I’m more focused on just eating really good food.
Is it just me, or do these beautiful photographs almost make you want to sign up for a week of eating only peas? Well… maybe after I eat this hamburger.
