WOMANHOOD
9th place in Hearst Journalism Awards 2021
Diving deep into the lives of my roommates as well as my own, this photo essay depicts our four individual paths crisscrossing under the same roof. Upon moving into an apartment in San Francisco late August, our daily routines became intertwined. Soon COVID-19 related episodes emerged, passionate ups and downs commenced, and our emotional states began to match up.
This essay speaks of the shared experience that is being a 21-year-old woman during a global pandemic as well as explores the intimate world of our individual femininity. These images display the good, the bad and the ugly of what a home full of females looks like.
Alexandra and I have known each other since freshman year of college. Seeing each other around campus, we felt drawn to one another without sharing a word. Incidentally spotting her in my hometown in Los Angeles during winter break, I ran to introduce myself sparking one of my strongest college friendships. We now cook dinner together every night.
I had briefly met Olivia the night of her 21st birthday at the Makeout Room. She had been friends with Allie for as long as I had known her, but our personal story had not commenced yet. We finally bonded during long FaceTime calls over the summer, stressing over which apartment would so kindly have us. She is the first person I go to when I need a smoke break.
Hannah is the only girl I’ve lived with before. Meeting her within the first month of school changed the trajectory of my college experience. Her eccentric ways reminded me of a movie character about to drag me into a lot of trouble. We no longer live together.
