20 Nov 2019

What's it like being an 18 year old woman in Aotearoa?

From Nine To Noon, 11:33 am on 20 November 2019

Eighteen young women from all over Auckland talk about their lives and take on stereotypes of Generation Z in 18x18 – a new photo exhibition launching next week.

Participants Katie and Allyssa tell Kathryn Ryan they're tired of being stereotyped by older generations.

"Sometimes when we speak about how we feel it can get disregarded because of our age or because of our experiences in the world and what we've grown up with," Katie says.

Katie was born to immigrant parents – an American mother and an Austrian father – and grew up in West Auckland.

Leaving high school now can be intimidating because you feel like you have to choose a career, and course of study, which will contribute to helping the world, she says.

"Being exposed to all the world issues that are being posted about online – like the climate crisis and all that – it's putting this image in our mind that the world is falling apart and if we don't individually do something to help it, then that's bad on us … If I feel like I'm not contributing to society in some way that's a help, I feel like I'm failing. Which is a lot of stress to be under, especially when I'm so so young and I've got so much time to figure it out."

Katie, a participant in the YWCA photo exhibition 18x18

Katie, a participant in the YWCA photo exhibition 18x18 Photo: YWCA Auckland

Many older people think today's young people are oversensitive "snowflakes" who bring up topics that don't really need to be addressed, she says.

"Really what we're just trying to do is stand up for things that make us upset. And if we're standing up for it, it's something that should be talked about, it shouldn't just be brushed under the table, you know?"

Social media contributes to rising rates of teen anxiety, Katie says. She has suffered from it since she was 13.

"The majority of my friends and people I know have struggled with it. And there's not a lot of awareness in certain parts of Auckland, which is very frustrating."

Allyssa says that she doesn't know anyone who's life hasn't been touched by anxiety.

Being Pasifika adds another dimension to the fears many young people have about the future, she says.

"We are so nervous about losing our homelands and so anxious about what's to come in the world … we've been told [by the media] that our islands are sinking, but we've been able to combat that with different narratives, like the Pacific Climate Warriors saying 'we are not drowning, we are fighting'. I think slogans like that also can pertain to mental health. We can get through this, we can fight it.'"

Allyssa, a participant in the YWCA photo exhibition 18x18

Allyssa, a participant in the YWCA photo exhibition 18x18 Photo: YWCA Auckland

Allyssa – who is half Samoan – was brought up in Manurewa and had never been to central Auckland when she started going to school in Ponsonby.

"Sometimes when you're entering these spaces as the only brown girl, or the only part-brown girl, you really have to assert yourself," she says.

She is now studying drama and Pacific studies at university.

"Right now I'm so inspired by the people around me and I'm so present in this moment. I'm so excited about getting my degree and studying."

The strong feelings Generation Z express are an assertion of everyone's right to self-respect, Allyssa says.

"In a world where we're told everything is falling apart, the best thing you can do is protect your integrity as a person and do things that you love and that make you feel valid and seen.

"[My generation] genuinely cares and we want everyone to feel included. We want everyone to feel like they also deserve a place in this world. If we have to come across sensitive or fragile then that's the price you pay for making yourself feel valid and seen and heard in a world that excludes so many."

YWCA's free 18X18 exhibition launches at Silo Park on 28 November with the aim of a national tour in the future.