“Life Once Removed” – A Satirical Look at the American Dream

A white picket fence, a loving husband, 2.3 kids (how do you get that .3rd kid?) and a dog in the middle of suburbia…the American Dream. A concept which died somewhere in the 1970’s, I believe. Yet, that didn’t stop every single one of my married friends asking me when I would join their society of married people before the ink was even dry on my bachelor’s degree. Family members at every wedding would tell me that I wasn’t getting any younger and that it was time to “settle down.” I believed them and at the ripe old age of 24, I got married. Then, the questions of when I’d have children arose…usually by a frazzled looking friend, who hadn’t slept the night before because her kid was sick all night. So, I succumbed to that pressure and had a kid a few years later and adopted a dog. Then got divorced. Oh, the American Dream…

Tired of Being labeled a “Spinster”

Photographer Suzanne Heintz was in the same boat. “It was getting late,” she says, “Seriously late for a woman my age not to have a ring on her finger.  People said, ‘You’re such a nice girl, why aren’t you married?’  No one actually used that out of date word, but, what they were driving at was that I was a “Spinster,” and I got tired of hearing about it.”

Feeling the pressure from all around, even from her mother, she did what any photographer in her situation would do, she went to the store and “bought a beautiful family…of Mannequins.” Yes, you read that correctly. She decided to have “Kodak moments” with her new plastic family as a photo project.

[REWIND: 5 Simple Tips For Taking More Natural Family Portraits]

“Life Once Removed”

At first, she began her project at home, as Suzanne tells us, “scenes of an idyllic home life eventually extended into a series of Holiday Greetings, as a satirical response to annual family photo cards.”

Then, she took her “family” on a road trip…and so began “Life Once Removed,” a project that stands up and questions the “traditional life expectations.”  For the last 14 years, Suzanne has focused her energies changing the mindset of society one family photograph at a time, and using her photos to try to change the culture that pressures people to conform to a certain way of life, the Married Life. Using humor and shock, Suzanne satirizes the “American Dream,” or what people see as a successful life.

Family Vacation to Paris

Here is Suzanne and her “family” on vacation in Paris:

Suzanne says in her artist statement, “We are constantly set up by our expectations to feel as though we are missing something. I thought it was high time to call this nonsense out publicly, because this notion of insufficiency is not just about me, nor exclusively about Women in regards to Marriage.  It’s about anyone whose life doesn’t look the way it ‘should.‘”

Gear List

Suzanne’s Gear List is comprehensive and humorous. She told me that “None of it is made up, this is a true list. I don’t always use all of it on every shoot, but various combinations of gear.” I can only image her setting up her locations and the reactions of the public watching her do so.

• 1 Standing Male Mannequin
• 1 Seated Male Mannequin
• 1 Standing Female Child Mannequin
• 1 Seated Female Child Manniquin
• 4 Spare Hands
• 2 Alternate Arms
• 2 Mannequin Stands
• 2 Handtrucks + 4 Bungee Cords for Mannequin Transport
• 1 Philips Head Screwdriver – to tighten Mannequin Stand Bolts
• 1 Roll Duct Tape – to secure detachable Mannequin parts
• 2 Rain Umbrellas – Weather Protection/Prop
• 2 Wigs: 1 Male, one Female
• Vintage Wardrobe for 3,  circa 1959-1965
• 1 can Hairspray
• 1 Box Hairpins
• 2 Tubes L’Oreal Infallible Lipstick: Red Fatale #343
• 1 Tube Palladio Liquid Eyeliner – Black
• 1 Mirror – to check look
• 1 Satechi WR-A100 Wireless Remote Control
• 1 Benro A1691T Mg Aluminum Tripod
• 1 Canon 5D Mark III
• 1 Canon 30D – Back Up Body
• 1 Ultra HD II Flip Camera – Documentary footage of Process
• 1  Canon 24mm 1.4L II USM  EF Lens
• 1  Canon 50mm  f/1.2L USM EF Lens
• 1  Canon 85mm f/1.2L II USM  EF Lens
• 1 Canon 100mm Macro f/2.8L IS USM Canon EF Lens
• 1 Canon 600EX-RT Speedlight
• 2 Photogenic Digital Powerlights PL2500DR – Interiors
• 1 Einstein 640WS IGBT Control Strobe – Location
• 1 Paul C. Buff CyberSync Receiver CSR
• 1 Paul C. Buff CyberSync Transmitter CST
• 1 Paul C. Buff Vagabond Mini Lithium Battery Pack
• 1 Sekonic Flash Master Light Meter L-358
• 1 Westcott Softbox 24×32
• 2 Chimera Quartz Plus Softboxes 36×48
• 2 Chimera Speedrings
• 1 Westcott 7’ White Diffusion Parabolic Umbrella
• 2 Photogenic Light Stands
• 1 PhotoFlex MultiDisc 5’n1 32” Reflector
• 1 Photoflex MultiDisc 5’n1 41×74″ Reflector
• Think Tank Change Up V2 Combination Waist Pack, Shoulder Bag, Chest Pack
• Think Tank Airport Accelerator
• Think Tank Airport  Security V 2.0
• iPhone 5 with Google Translate installed

“Playing House” Documentary

Suzanne is working on a documentary of her project, called, “Playing House.” You can see the trailer below:

I’m simply trying to get people to open up their minds, and quit clinging to outdated assumptions of what a successful life looks like.  I want people to lighten up on each other, and themselves, and embrace their lives for who it’s made them, with or without the Mrs., PhD. or Esq. attached to your name.

You can see more of Suzanne’s “family” photos, including her wedding and pregnancy photos, Christmas and other fun holidays on her website and her portfolio site.

[via @Design Taxi]

CREDITS: All photographs by Suzanne Heintz are copyrighted and have been used with permission for SLR Lounge. Do not copy, modify or re-post this article or images without express permission from SLR Lounge and the artist.