2/25/23
An Evening Out with the LONELIEST generation
In 2023 the University of Nebraska—Lincoln held their annual Perry Photo Challenge competition and I decided to enter. Rules were simple, 24 hours to shoot and compose a photo essay of up to 10 images around the theme
“Framing Gen Z.”
This is what I came up with.
Lindsay Best, 21, dances alone by the DJ at Junction Nightclub on Feb. 25 in Lincoln, Neb. With a vodka soda in her left hand, Best smiles enjoying her time alone on a Saturday night. Photo by Meredith Gamet.
Taking her angled makeup brush, Lindsay Best uses her Lisa Frank Morphe makeup palette to create her night-out look. Best follows along with a TikTok video on the process. Generation Z created a dependency shift where they are more likely to search online rather than consolidate with a friend or family member regarding a decision. Photo by Meredith Gamet.
As she sections her hair between her fingers, Lindsay Best uses a hair waver to style for the evening. She is from a suburban area of Las Vegas in Nevada called Henderson. She attends college at the University of Nebraska— Lincoln, where she is in her final semester as a communication major. Photo by Meredith Gamet.
As she holds her lip gloss, beer, and vape, Lindsay Best poses in the bathroom at the VS Arcade Bar in the Haymarket District of Lincoln. Generation Z is known for their vaping habits, as they have the highest percentage of e-cigarette users compared to past generations. Photo by Meredith Gamet.
Grabbing a handful of buttered popcorn, Lindsay Best takes a break and sits at a booth in Iguana’s Pub. It is popularly known as ‘Iggy’s’ by college students and is well-liked because of its cheap drinks and lack of a cover fee. Photo by Meredith Gamet.
Shuffling through the half-empty mustard bottles, Lindsay Best searches through the fridge at her sorority house after coming home from the bars. Photo by Meredith Gamet.
As the water drips down her face, Lindsay Best takes off her makeup for the night with someone else’s face wash. Generation z spends more than any other generation on skin care practices. Photo by Meredith Gamet.
On Sunday morning, Feb. 26, everything is quiet at Lindsay Best home after the previous evening out. The patriotic flag of rap singer Nicki Minja stands out prominently among the other houses on the block. This is rare to see the North Bottoms so quiet, as it is a popular college housing and partying neighborhood in Lincoln, Neb. Recuperating from the night before and preparing for the week ahead, Best, like most of the Gen Z population, needs a moment alone before facing the world. Photo by Meredith Gamet.