Teens explores the youth community focusing on teenagers in todays society. It is a confusing age where you start to find yourself as a person but also have lots of pressures. Most people remember their teenage years as some of the best times of their life when they were young and free but is this the same for the youth of today?
Teens are given so many different labels and stereotypes from energised and engaged or anti-social and unenthusiastic. It is a highly pressured time as there are lots of different pressures with the relentless focus on academic achievement and what to do after education. Needing a high paid job to be able to move out with house prices higher than ever more teenagers are having to stay living at home with their parents with people calling it a ‘suspended adulthood’. Evidence suggests that rates of depression, self-harm and anxiety among young people are at unprecedented levels. Social media is more popular than ever with its dark side of body shaming and cyberbullying effecting their wellbeing and body image.
Through the use of portraits, I have represented all the teenager’s different identities as they are all individuals. As well as showing their own individual styles and communicating how they want to represent themselves to other people. Each individual is part of a community of youths going through similar struggles and becoming their own individual person. Being at the end of my teenage life I can relate to what each teenager is going through at their different ages. I am part of the project so I have lots of knowledge within the subject of what its like to be a teenager in todays society. Which adds to the openness of the photographs as I built up trust with each individual I was photographing.
Freddie, 13
Alex, 17
Jess, 15
Ruby, 16
Mollie, 16
Mia, 16
Jack, 14