Contradictory perspectives: Miwa Yanagi’s Elevator Girls
Presentation Type
Event
Start Date
8-3-2026 8:56 PM
Description
Miwa Yanagi (b. 1967) is among the first generation of Japanese female photographers to be accepted into the canon without concern for gender. Her photography is rooted in the imposition of gender norms on Japanese women in a changing culture. Yanagi's first large-scale project is Elevator Girls, which began as a performance piece and transitioned into a series of 25 photographs. For decades, elevator girls were a fixture in Japan’s department stores, where identically dressed young women operated elevators for guests. The women performed a highly specific and robotic script, echoing contemporary hospitality and retail positions. Yanagi’s photographs show that the uniforms erase individuality while also creating a sameness that reifies a static gender identity, a sameness that could be read as both docility and suppressed rebelliousness. Yet Yanagi notes that many models “are afraid of revealing their individuality to others,” and the identical uniforms allow them to belong without risking rejection. Works such as Before and after a dream and Elevator Girl House 1F invite viewers to observe and engage women who are often belittled or ignored.
Linda Levitt is professor of media and communication at Stephen F. Austin State University. Her research sits at the intersection of memory studies and media, considering media’s role in shaping understandings of the past. Her book Culture, Celebrity, and the Cemetery: Hollywood Forever was published by Routledge in 2018.
Relational Format
Conference proceeding
Recommended Citation
Levitt, Linda, "Contradictory perspectives: Miwa Yanagi’s Elevator Girls" (2026). Women of Photography: A 24-Hour Conference-a-thon Celebrating International Women’s Day. 50.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/womenofphotography/2026/schedule/50
Contradictory perspectives: Miwa Yanagi’s Elevator Girls
Miwa Yanagi (b. 1967) is among the first generation of Japanese female photographers to be accepted into the canon without concern for gender. Her photography is rooted in the imposition of gender norms on Japanese women in a changing culture. Yanagi's first large-scale project is Elevator Girls, which began as a performance piece and transitioned into a series of 25 photographs. For decades, elevator girls were a fixture in Japan’s department stores, where identically dressed young women operated elevators for guests. The women performed a highly specific and robotic script, echoing contemporary hospitality and retail positions. Yanagi’s photographs show that the uniforms erase individuality while also creating a sameness that reifies a static gender identity, a sameness that could be read as both docility and suppressed rebelliousness. Yet Yanagi notes that many models “are afraid of revealing their individuality to others,” and the identical uniforms allow them to belong without risking rejection. Works such as Before and after a dream and Elevator Girl House 1F invite viewers to observe and engage women who are often belittled or ignored.
Linda Levitt is professor of media and communication at Stephen F. Austin State University. Her research sits at the intersection of memory studies and media, considering media’s role in shaping understandings of the past. Her book Culture, Celebrity, and the Cemetery: Hollywood Forever was published by Routledge in 2018.