Little Cinderella (from The Valley), 1998

This work is from Larry Sultan's photographic series The Valley, set in the suburbs of Los Angeles where he grew up. Sultan began this series after being hired by Maxim magazine to depict an average day in the life of a porn star. Over the course of five years he explored the juxtaposition of the San Fernando Valley, an area associated with the porn industry, and the mundane domesticity of every day suburban life. In this portrait Sultan depicts Amber Hunter, an adult film actor known as Lil' Cinderella, who began her career in 1994 and who has a small appearance in the movie Boogie Nights. Here Sultan divorces Amber from all associations to the adult film world, depicting her windswept hair and an oversized sweatshirt. In doing so he compels us to investigates deeper complicated stories behind the austerity of middle class life.