Jen Davis's self-portraits call into question our preoccupation with thinness and ask what it means to represent the self.
Jen Davis is a photographer based in New York City. She's produced a thought-provoking series of self-portraits exploring her insecurities and desires. And because our culture values thinness as beauty and because being overweight is considered deviant, she also raises larger questions about what it means to represent the self.
GOOD: Tell me about what you were thinking when you did this project?
Jen Davis: I started making the work in 2002, when I was an undergrad at Columbia College in Chicago. I was always working with another person and saying those photographs were self-portraits—without me in them. I called them “ambiguous narratives.” I would photograph them in a diner or in their apartment to talk about loneliness and isolation and something that was ambiguous. I wasn’t able to talk about the issue of myself, my body, and societal standards of beauty.
GOOD: What changed?
Davis: I read some old journals about how and where I fit into society—how that contrasted with who I was. I didn’t know who I was. I didn’t have a voice. So I decided it was time for me to turn the camera on myself to talk about the issues I had my body and with food and with how society depicted someone of a larger size.
GOOD: Is there a particular idea that you wanted to convey?
Davis: I didn’t want to become the poster child of this. It was just something I had to do to articulate myself. It was a search for intimacy and acceptance. And it wasn’t something I could do with words. Initially, I was not considering an audience. It was more like a solo project that was being seen and critiqued, but, in that sense, it was therapeutic.
GOOD: What goes into setting up a shot? Why, say, choose a hot dog stand in Chicago?
Davis: That hot dog stand was a place we’d go on weekends and after school. It was just about the light and my body and the process of ordering. The woman in the photo just happened to be there, but it’s contrived. With “Seconds,” I wanted to make a photo that had to do with the ritual of the meal. The light dictated the photo. I came home and saw what the light was doing. The camera is just a witness.
GOOD: Are you feeling conflicted about sitting at the table?
Davis: I titled it “Seconds,” you know. The camera is just gazing on the situation. There’s a sense of removal. I think if there were a man sitting with me, it would have been different. Instead, it’s this woman—a roommate at the time—who’s staring at her plate. I think the intention to deal with food, etiquette, and the subject of eating was something that I had to explore through photography.
Jen Davis is featured in reGeneration 2: tomorrow’s photographers today, currently on view at Aperture Gallery in New York City, and also available as a book.
Say goodbye or make amends.Image via Canva - Photo by Inna Postnikova
Friends recording on a camcorder.Image via Canva - Photo by capturenow
This is an AI-generated image using the language "A beautiful woman with long eyelashes and red lips surrounded by swirls of colorful makeup." AI/Canva/Elyssa Goodman 
Wiman hiding her face behind a bunch of cashCanva
A mansion and its reflection in the swimming poolCanva
Salzburg at nightCanva
Fancy homeCanva
Happy volunteersCanva
Parents of young children get more time with them if they work from home.Photo credit: Canva
Grieving couple comforting each other
This response to someone grieving a friend might be the best internet comment ever
When someone is hit with the sudden loss of a friend or loved one, words rarely feel like enough. Yet, more than a decade ago, a wise Redditor named GSnow shared thoughts so profound they still bring comfort to grieving hearts today.
Originally posted around 2011, the now-famous reply was rediscovered when Upvoted, an official Reddit publication, featured it again to remind everyone of its enduring truth. It began as a simple plea for help: “My friend just died. I don't know what to do.”
What followed was a piece of writing that many consider one of the internet’s best comments of all time. It remains shared across social media, grief forums, and personal messages to this day because its honesty and metaphor speak to the raw reality of loss and the slow, irregular path toward healing.
Below is GSnow’s full reply, unchanged, in all its gentle, wave-crashing beauty:
Why this advice still matters
Mental health professionals and grief counselors often describe bereavement in stages or phases, but GSnow’s “wave theory” gives an image more relatable for many. Rather than a linear process, grief surges and retreats—sometimes triggered by a song, a place, or a simple morning cup of coffee.
In recent years, this metaphor has found renewed relevance. Communities on Reddit, TikTok, and grief support groups frequently reshare it to help explain the unpredictable nature of mourning.
Many readers say this analogy helps them feel less alone, giving them permission to ride each wave of grief rather than fight it.
Finding comfort in shared wisdom
Since this comment first surfaced, countless people have posted their own stories underneath it, thanking GSnow and passing the words to others facing fresh heartbreak. It’s proof that sometimes, the internet can feel like a global support group—strangers linked by shared loss and hope.
For those searching for more support today, organizations like The Dougy Center, GriefShare, and local bereavement groups offer compassionate resources. If you or someone you know is struggling with intense grief, please reach out to mental health professionals who can help navigate these deep waters.
When grief comes crashing like the ocean, remember these words—and hang on. There is life between the waves.
This article originally appeared four years ago.