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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Forty-Eight: Telling stories with pictures > Toothbrush drill, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2007
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03-SEP-2007

Toothbrush drill, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2007

Muslims make up the majority of Malaysians. Primary students in the Muslim school start the day with mandatory toothbrush drills. I watched and waited as six young girls, each with their own toothbrush, cup and faucet, diligently practiced their dental hygiene. When one of them finished and turned away from the wall, I made this image. Each child shows us different body language. The one at far left holds her skirt up with one hand while washing her brush with the other. The girl next to her uses both hands to clean the brush. The two girls in the middle of the image are still brushing vigorously but one bends over while other stands upright. The fifth student is rinsing with her cup, while the last in line turns to show the world she is first to finish. Five of the six face the wall, which abstracts them. The sixth and last is the only one we see face to face. The story is a simple one – everyone works at their own pace, and each in their own way. This story defines a process. And this is how that process works.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/250s f/5.0 at 23.9mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time03-Sep-2007 10:14:16
MakeLeica
ModelV-LUX 1
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length23.9 mm
Exposure Time1/250 sec
Aperturef/5
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias-0.33
White Balance
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis09-May-2008 03:44
Not only do the modest white wraps seem to define their innocence, Vera -- the act of brushing their teeth in public is innocently charming as well. Generally, dental hygiene is a personal matter, not to be seen or shared in public. But these young children are learning about it here by doing it together, and publicly. They are delighted and proud to do so. And that, too, is a measure of their innocence.
Guest 09-May-2008 01:57
Innocence! The simple act of brushing their teeth combined with the color white which we traditionally associate with innocence...or is it just me that does that :-) Whatever...I love the image. It makes me feel happy...
Phil Douglis19-Oct-2007 17:31
Thanks, Carol, for fleshing out the story here in your own way. I had not given much thought to the length of the skirts, but you have, and so the story acquires an additional layer of meaning for you.
Carol E Sandgren19-Oct-2007 04:56
Each little girl seems to haver her own style about their washing up routine...much like the rest of us in this world. I love how they are all in different positions...not the same. Each goes about her daily ablutions in her own ways and speed. I only hope they haven't gotten scolded for wetting their hems of their skirts! Long skirts ARE rather cumbersome in a wet, communal environment!
Phil Douglis06-Oct-2007 21:47
It is like a dance, Jenene -- it plays itself out for wave after wave of students, day after day after day. And as you note, the water probably keeps dripping between performances.
JSWaters06-Oct-2007 05:16
I love the lyrical nature of this image. The young girls attend to their drills as ballerinas to the dance. The water continues to drip from the faucets even when the last has finished and turned, waiting for the next group to step up and perform.
Jenene
Phil Douglis30-Sep-2007 00:03
You read the story here beautifully here, Ceci. Thanks for seeing the wet bottoms on the skirts, and how they relate to the little girl who pulls her skirt up to keep it dry. Thanks, too, observing her posture, and for seeing the discipline and self-reliance being taught here. Tim, Celia Lim and her husband, and myself shot two successive waves of children as they went through this drill. Between us, there were enough images to make a splendid photo-essay, where multiple images can be related together to tell a story. Yet some images are able to tell a story on their own and I thought that this was the most effective of the thirty or forty images I made of these drills. I look forward to seeing the stories that Tim and Celia choose to tell of these drills when they post their own versions.
Guest 29-Sep-2007 17:50
Such a joyful picture, filled with contrast, action, innocence, beauty and unconscious fun--but also steeped in strictness. I noticed that all the skirts on these little girls had gotten splashed, but that only one thought to pull up hers to keep it a bit drier. I love the way she is standing, feet and legs together. There is a sense of the tough discipline that is imposed on these small children, even from the beginning, in their rather respectful stances, and their clothing -- already covering and binding them to a life of modesty, secrecy and constraint. I like the fact that they have access to clean water, and have this large communal bathroom for their ablutions, which speaks of the importance of personal hygiene in this culture. And I love those little brown feet! Bravo, bravo Phil!
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