Mirielle Rohr

Image from “Money Making Child” project by Mirielle Rohr

Biography

Web site: https://mirielle-rohr.com/
Instagram: @miriellerohr

Berlin-born and raised visual artist and photographer Mirielle Rohr is currently based between Lausanne and Paris. Her work merges analogue photography, AI, and sculpture to explore representations of womanhood and girlhood shaped by internet culture and social media. She has worked in fashion photography in Paris, was published in magazines such as SLEEK Magazine, Fisheye Magazine, Schemamagazine and many more, while also having been finalist for the Picto Fashion Photography Award in 2024. She is currently finishing her Master in photography at ÉCAL in Lausanne.
This work was created as part of the research project Soft Photography, conducted by the Master Photography program at ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne, with the support of HES-SO.

The project

“Money Making Child” explores the troubling world of sharenting and child influencers, which are children whose digital presence is monetized by their parents. Using AI-generated images, this project sheds light on the hidden realities behind children's online innocence. These children, often girls, are encouraged to behave like mini-adults, promoting luxury products and using cosmetics intended for adults. Behind the scenes, they often work long hours, giving up their private lives to maintain a lifestyle that often supports their entire families. Many are managed as professional content creators before they even understand what that means. The line between play and work is becoming dangerously blurred. In particular, this project examines how young girls are pushed towards adult femininity and sexualized aesthetics from an early age, sometimes subtly, sometimes overtly, often under the direction of their mother or both parents. In these AI-generated images, I intentionally evoke discomfort to reveal the darker truths hidden behind glossy images and brand contracts.

Image from “Money Making Child” project by Mirielle Rohr

Image from “Money Making Child” project by Mirielle Rohr

This work also responds to the recent viral trend known as #SephoraKids, where children have been posting GRWM (Get Ready With Me) videos applying adult skincare and make-up routines. This phenomenon reflects a broader cultural shift where adult beauty standards are increasingly imposed on children. Using synthetic imagery, “Money Making Child” presents a constructed mirror to a deeply constructed reality, where childhood is monetized, aestheticized and, in many cases, stolen. The AI-generated images focus primarily on children, while including subtle visual cues that hint at the presence of an adult just outside the frame.This project was supervised by Marco De Mutiis as part of a new research project at ÉCAL, entitled “Softphotography”.