Amy Stein & Stacy Arezou Mehrfar: Tall Poppy Syndrome

In 2010, American photographers Amy Stein (born 1970) and Stacy Arezou Mehrfar (born 1977) embarked on a monthlong road trip throughout New South Wales. They were interested in investigating the Australian social phenomenon of the “Tall Poppy Syndrome,” in which successful people, or “tall poppies,” are “cut down to size,” resented or ridiculed because their talents or achievements distinguish them from their peers. Is the syndrome real? Can it be documented or observed? Stein and Mehrfar spent their days meeting and photographing everyday Australians—from schoolchildren in their plaid uniforms to young surfers playing at the beach to grandmothers meeting at their social clubs—all the while learning about the relationship between the group and the individual within Australian society. The resulting photographs offer a visual portrait of quintessential Australian life and society.