“Raised In America”: My Photography Project That Depicts The Complex Childhood Of Modern Kids (15 Pics)

Childhood in America today is much more complex than it has ever been. I was lucky enough to be raised in the ’80s and ’90s when little children still had a sense of freedom and independence. There were very few worries and I was able to go on adventures and express myself freely. I was not concerned about what was going on in the world, who was a president, or whether I might be shot, kidnapped, hurt, sick, or addicted to anything. I could be myself.

In the past, children were forced to work like adults but a modern society child is forced to think like an adult. We are raising kids within a culture heavily dominated by the media and entertainment industry. We are hammering American kids with social rules and stereotypes, regulating them, overscheduling them while overprotecting and sheltering them at the same time. We drag them through our own social battles and expect the same from them. At the end of the day, we offer them electronic devices to keep them quiet and to entertain them so we don’t have to.

I create my photo series utilizing negative panoramic space, breaking the quotidian of the photographic frame. The subject in these black and white photos is isolated and alone, a child’s hands are raised, often holding up a simple object to bring a visual narrative of what it is like being “Raised in America”.

More info: nolanstreitberger.com | Instagram

#1 And Now We Feast

#2 How Do I Look?

#3 Assimilation

#4 The Modern Babysitter

#5 Side Effects May Include

#6 Comfort

#7 Go Play

#8 Cut The Cord

#9 Desensitized

#10 Candy Cigarette

#11 Sheltered

#12 Agitprop

#13 Layers

#14 Dress Code

#15 Piece Of Meat