Photographer Damon Casarez's latest series, 'Boomerang Kids,' paints a compassionate narrative of millennials trying to achieve independence in an unforgiving world, rife with economic crises. Today, one in five individuals in their 20s and 30s live with their parents. Casarez relates to their struggle, having moved back home to cope with an astronomical post-grad debt. With the transition between teenager and adult no longer linear, this series aims to capture the strange limbo between the two phases.
The decision to move back home is surrounded by pressing questions and concerns. Is this a necessary financial move or a way of delaying real independence -- the kind that doesn't have a safety net? Should one feel embarrassed about their current condition, or is it an inevitable reality of the turbulent economic tides?
Rather than making his subjects seem pathetic, Casarez's images portray them with courage, fortitude and strength.
Home-Bound Millennial Photography
'Boomerang Kids' Portrays Millennials Living Back Home
Trend Themes
1. Boomerang Living - Creating products and services designed to cater to millennials who have had to return home, and help ease their transition to full independence.
2. Millennial Economic Crisis - Developing new economic models and programs designed to address the challenges of high student debt, underemployment, and a historically turbulent economy.
3. Transitional Photography - Exploring the use of documentary-style photography as a tool for examining the social and economic issues facing millennials today.
Industry Implications
1. Real Estate - Creating innovative solutions for affordable housing and working with real estate developers and landlords to make homes more affordable and accessible to millennials.
2. Finance - Developing new financial products and services designed to help young people deal with high student debt, low wages, and other financial challenges.
3. Art and Photography - Supporting artists and photographers who are exploring social and economic issues through their work, and finding new ways to make art more accessible to young people.