In the 1990s, Pam Butler’s boldly executed marker drawings could be seen all over the streets of New York City. Consisting of cartoonish depictions of essentialized femininity with such captions as “good girl,” “slut,” and “suppose I was very beautiful,” Butler’s “Good Girl Project” sought to engage passersby in a general critique of gendered stereotypes.
Ten years later, The Good Girl Book picks up where the project left off, delving deeper into the internal madness wrought by contemporary imagery and messaging. Butler adds new material along with ephemera related to the street project. Original posters appear cropped, manipulated, and collaged, with accompanying texts by Butler as well as by anonymous fans and enemies of the project.