HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS (2011) BY LAUREN GREENFIELD

Five teenage girls – Lili, 17, Nicole, 18, Lauren, 18, Luna, 18, and Sam, 17 – put on their makeup, unaware that they are standing in front of a two-way mirror. The picture was taken by the American photographer and filmmaker, Lauren Greenfield, for her 2011 documentary Beauty CULTure, a short but trenchant study of our obsession with beauty and the way in which photos influence our perception of body image.

Greenfield’s picture is one of nearly 500 to appear in a vast, wide-ranging new book titled Civilization. Coinciding with an exhibition at Flowers Gallery in east London, it features images by around 140 photographers addressing issues such as megacities, oil, technology, waste and wealth.

Details: thamesandhudson.com