Joseph Szabo’s pictures of American adolescents
Photographer Joseph Szabo’s 1970s and 1980s portraits of American high school students capture an uncurated, pre-digital era of adolescence.
summary is enough The article offers an evocative look at classic teenage photography, though the main draw is the nostalgic reflection on a pre-digital era.
summary
The New Yorker reviews Joseph Szabo’s photo book 'American Teen,' collecting black-and-white images of Long Island high school students from the 1970s and 1980s. Published by Sofia Coppola's imprint, the collection highlights the unselfconscious, relaxed presence of teens before social media curation. The reviewer reflects on how this era fostered casual camaraderie and low-key androgyny. Commenters expand into nostalgic memories, generational debates, and the contrasts of modern screen-based youth.
key points
- Joseph Szabo taught darkroom photography at a Long Island high school starting in 1973, embedding himself in student life.
- The book 'American Teen' is published by Sofia Coppola's art imprint, inspired by Szabo's photo on a 1991 Dinosaur Jr. album cover.
- HN commenters debate whether high school is universally romanticized and contrast physical 1970s socialization with modern smartphone isolation.
who should read it
Photography enthusiasts, cultural historians, and readers interested in adolescent sociology.
discussion positive
consensus
Commenters generally agree that high school is a stressful or awkward period rather than a universally golden age, while discussing how teen socialization has shifted.
pushback
A generational argument surfaces regarding boomer hedonism versus modern smartphone-bound isolation.
Near the end of high school a teacher said something that really struck me. She said that some people would look back on their high school years as the best time of their life, while others would slam that book shut and never look back. Not the most profound statement, but it really lit up my teenage brain.
High school was a really awkward period for me that was much more stressful than enjoyable. The idea that I could choose to never return to anything like that and have a completely different rest of my life was exhilarating to contemplate.
It turned out to be true. College was much …
It shares a grounded personal counterpoint to the cultural mythos of high school being the best years of one's life.
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