Beyond Walls - Agnieszka Rayss
East Bloc countries had two TV channels at the most, and no glossy magazines. Freedom of expression and the free market were unattainable. After the fall of the Iron Curtain the whole region fell into the grip of American mass culture. An avalanche of new TV broadcasters, magazines, advertising and consumer goods brought about a cultural revolution. Trends in the field of fashion and lifestyle were avidly copied, Hollywood stars became the new role models. Attitudes regarding sexuality also became more liberated. As a prominent target audience, particularly women were susceptible to the appeal of American popular culture. Agnieszka Rayss, who is still surprised at the speed with which the capitalist dream was embraced and the loss of old values, documented the new, Western-oriented woman in the former East Bloc.
