Anti-Pout
I asked the generation known for its blank stare to respond to the economy, AI, sex, and the state of the world — using only their faces.
I’ve been told I’m “expressive” — a label I often flinched at, suspecting it meant I was too emotive and therefore the very opposite of cool.
One time in college, a professor knew her PowerPoint had been scrambled because of my face: “Your face tells me these slides are out of sync,” she announced to the class, her back to the screen said slides were projecting onto.
I’ve come to embrace my animated face, with brows that still furrow despite regular Botox.
So while the world is enamored with the Gen Z pout — four years after rayne fisher-quann coined "dissociative pout" to describe the blank, detached stare that's since been pegged to an entire generation — I set out to capture the emotions that captivated me as a woman who grew up with glossy mags and models who grimaced to tell a story.
Here's what five Gen Zers' anti-pouts (and one thumb) had to say about life as the internet’s generation — without any words.
How do you feel about AI in the classroom?
About starting a family?
About student loans?
About being called the “sexless generation”?
About meeting people IRL?
About dating, on and off the apps?
About AI replacing jobs?
The following were too good not to share.
I can’t remember what questions these expressions were in response to, but I love the range of emotion. Funnily enough, the only time I got a blank stare was when I asked if they knew about the Gen Z pout.
I love these! "Student Loans" is perfect.
this is so fun!!!