83 people in their 20’s respond to the question: “How would you describe the experience of being in your 20s in the 2020s in one word?”
Inspiring
Scary
Freeing
Frustrating
Depressing
Confrontational
Catastrophic
Cheated
Dystopian
Digital
Anticipatory
Cataclysmic
Whiplash
Unknowing
New
Lost
Disillusionment
Difficult
Unpredictable
Unprecedented
Confusing
Party
Shit
Awful
Cynical
Surreal
Growth
Possibilities
Fucked
Miserable
Limitless
Enmity
Transitional
Transformative
Whimsical
Complicated
Bittersweet
Grownup
Online
Hopeful
Torture
Consuming
Saturated
Exhausting
Empowering
Lucky
Unexpected
Chaotic
Change
Reckoning
Contentious
Stunted
Rough
Effervescence
Mystical
Misguided
Scared
Humbling
Harrowing
Absurd
Exciting
Expansive
Paradox
Optimistic
Uncertain
Fluid
Influenced
Tribulations
Fool
Turmoil
Disheartening
Nauseating
Unfortunate
Unifying
Fortitude
Overwhelming
Doom
Unsure
Ambitious
Hectic
Stressful
Metamorphosis
Together
Being in my 20s in the 2020s has been nothing short of... well, all
of the above. I am 23 years old, I graduated from college a year ago, and have been in New York City for 9 months. The past year has forced me to face parts of myself I never even knew. The coexisting feelings of being completely lost in life and also having the rest of your life at your fingertips to decide who you are and who you want to grow into felt like my soul was being stretched in so many different directions. It’s expansive, yet constricting. Terrifying, and also completely exciting. Being in your 20’s in the 2020’s is everything all at once. The world is on absolute fire, and you’re still just doing your best to build your life and follow your dreams.
In directing this shoot, I wanted to translate the female and queer experience (the experience I know) of being in your 20s in the ‘20s. I’ve seen many “girlhood”-esque shoots depicting beautiful, polished girly girls getting ready in a beautiful bathroom to go out for the night. But your 20s are less than perfect. The 2020s are less than perfect. For this shoot, I wanted to depict a spectrum of “girlhood” and show the messiness and reality of how we party in the chaos. Because, as RuPaul says, “What can you do but laugh?” Now, more than ever, it’s important for us, as young people coming into our livelihoods, to stand in community with each other and be by each other. To lift one another up and support each other for who we are.
