Lauren Greenfield facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lauren Greenfield
Born	(1966-06-28) June 28, 1966 (age 59) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater	Harvard University
Occupation	Film director artist
Spouse(s)	Frank Evers ​ (m. 1992)​
Parent(s)	Patricia Marks Greenfield
Relatives	Matthew Greenfield (brother)

Lauren Greenfield (born June 28, 1966) is an American artist, documentary photographer, and documentary filmmaker. She creates amazing projects that include photo books, movies, TV shows, and art exhibits. Her work often explores how culture, money, and beauty affect people's lives.

Early Life and Education

Lauren Greenfield was born on June 28, 1966, in Boston, Massachusetts. Her mom, Patricia Marks Greenfield, is a psychologist, and her dad, Sheldon Greenfield, is a doctor. She has a younger brother named Matthew Greenfield, who is a film producer. Lauren went to Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica.

In 1987, Lauren graduated from Harvard University. She earned a degree in visual and environmental studies. While in college, she traveled to many countries. She studied film and anthropology. This trip helped her discover her passion. She realized she loved looking at different cultures.

Exploring Cultures Through Art

Photography Projects

Lauren's college project helped her start her career. She interned for National Geographic Magazine. Later, National Geographic gave her a grant. This helped her create her first photo book. It was called "Fast Forward: Growing Up in the Shadow of Hollywood" (1997).

Five years later, she made another big project. It was about how American women feel about themselves. This project was called "Girl Culture."

Making Documentary Films

Early Film Studies

From 1985 to 1986, while at Harvard, Lauren traveled the world. She joined a program called "Film Study and Anthropology." This trip showed her how people make documentaries. She visited France, India, Japan, and other places. She met many amazing directors.

Lauren realized that looking at culture was her calling. She switched her major to Visual Studies. She wanted to tell stories through film and photography. In 1988, she co-directed a short film. It was called Once You're In. It was about Irish immigrants in Boston.

THIN (HBO)

Lauren directed THIN, a documentary for HBO. She also published a book with the same name. The film was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006. It won the Grierson Award for best documentary. It also won the Grand Jury Prize at other film festivals. Lauren was nominated for an Emmy Award for directing THIN. The film explores the lives of young women dealing with eating disorders.

kids + money

Lauren's short film, kids + money, was very popular. It was named one of the top nonfiction shorts. It won the Audience Award at the AFI Film Festival. It also won the Michael Moore Award. The film talks to teenagers in Los Angeles. They share their thoughts on money. It shows how money affects their lives. HBO bought the rights to show it in North America.

Beauty CULTure

In 2011, Lauren directed a short film called "Beauty CULTure." It was made for an exhibition at the Annenberg Space for Photography. The film looks at beauty in popular culture. It explores how media messages affect how girls see their bodies. It shows how beauty is often defined in a very narrow way.

The Queen of Versailles

In 2012, Lauren won an award at the Sundance Film Festival. It was for her documentary The Queen of Versailles. This film was about a wealthy family. They were building a huge house. The film explored the idea of the American dream. It was chosen to open the Sundance Film Festival. It also won other awards.

In 2023, it was announced that the film would become a Broadway musical. It will also be called The Queen of Versailles.

#likeagirl Campaign

In 2014, Lauren directed a commercial for Always. It was called "#likeagirl." The ad asked a powerful question: "When did doing something 'like a girl' become an insult?" It showed how adults often think "like a girl" means weak. But young girls think it means strong.

The commercial became very popular online. It had over 58 million views on YouTube. It was also shown during the Super Bowl XLIX. It was ranked the #1 Super Bowl Spot by many magazines. Lauren was nominated for an award for directing commercials. The campaign won many awards, including the prestigious Titanium Award at the Cannes Lions. In 2015, it won an Emmy Award for Best TV Commercial.

Generation Wealth

Lauren's film Generation Wealth opened the Sundance Film Festival in 2018. The film explores how people are obsessed with wealth. It looks at materialism and celebrity culture. Critics praised it for showing society's focus on money. It was released in U.S. theaters in 2018.

The Kingmaker

The Kingmaker is a 2019 documentary. Lauren wrote and directed it. The film is about Imelda Marcos and her family. It shows how they tried to regain political power in the Philippines. It also looks at their alliances with other politicians.

The film was shown at many major film festivals. It was nominated for several awards. It won the award for Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary.

Social Studies

In 2024, Lauren created and directed Social Studies for FX. This documentary series follows high school students in Los Angeles. It explores what it's like to grow up online today.

Art Collections and Exhibitions

Lauren's photographs are in many important art collections. These include the Art Institute of Chicago and the J. Paul Getty Museum. Her work is also in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

She has also created large traveling exhibitions. These shows have the same names as her books and films. They have been seen in museums around the world. Her "Fast Forward" show debuted in 1997. Her "Girl Culture" show was seen in over 29 places. The "THIN" exhibition also traveled widely.

In 2011, Lauren was a Featured Artist at The Annenberg Space for Photography. Her film "Beauty CULTure" was a main part of the exhibition. In 2017, her "Generation Wealth" exhibit opened there. It then traveled to museums in New York, Oslo, and other cities. This exhibit shows how wealth has influenced society for 25 years.

Personal Life

Lauren Greenfield married Frank Evers in 1992.

Filmography