Photographer Lilly McElroy Throws Herself at Men

Photographer Lilly McElroy Throws Herself at Men

Photographer Lilly McElroy Throws Herself at Men

Photographer Lilly McElroy literally throws herself at men, using her body as projectile.

In her attempts to freeze moments of "perpetual social awkwardness" in her photos by launching herself into consenting men she met at bars, McElroy has amused and annoyed fellow revelers, suffered whiplash and has been invited to join a Thanksgiving night three-way.

For I Throw Myself At Men (2008) McElroy initially tried meeting men through a Craigslist ad, but she didn't get enough responses.

"Directly approaching the men was more appropriate and effective," says McElroy. "The whole process filled me with anxiety and the moments when people agreed to participate were just as important as the moments when people said no."

The photos themselves were taken by a variety of friends, some professional photographers and some amateurs. Capturing that frozen mid-air moment was not always easy and there were lots of images that fell to the cutting room floor. For McElroy, the image and its raison d’être are more important than who's releasing the shutter.

"I worked with a lot of different people on this project," says McElroy. "I really liked working with people who were not trained photographers. It made it easier to maintain that casual party pic aesthetic."

In the past, McElroy has challenged behavioral norms by lying down in public spaces. In 2009, she asked people to submit images that represented their roughest times of the year, then published the photos. Her performances sometimes implicate people whether they like it or not, but always McElroy uses photography to question the human condition.

"I Throw Myself At Men was about the desire to form connections with other people," says McElroy.

In a culture of Facebook-stalking, Chatroulette and online dating sites that allow users to rifle through prospective hook-ups, McElroy's images attempt to comment on 'social connection, sex, gender and the desire to form relationships quickly.' For us, the photos merely ratchet up the awkward in their own awesome way.

And what about her targets, er, subjects? What did they get out of the deal?

"I bought drinks for the men," says McElroy. "It seemed more appropriate."

There were no second dates, but this is due to the fact that, in many shots, the man behind the camera was McElroy's boyfriend. They're now wife and husband.

All images courtesy of the artist and the Thomas Robertello Gallery.