Photos of Bros in the Club During the Tanned Aughts
All photos by Brit Worgan

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Photos of Bros in the Club During the Tanned Aughts

Photographer Brit Worgan captures the macho melting pot of fraternity brothers, guidos, and rednecks in a college town located in upstate New York during the mid 2000s.

When I was first starting out as a photographer, I worked for a nightlife photography site. I'd go to night clubs with the sites owners and photographed from 12 to 4 in the morning. This wasn't in a major city either. Not like New York or Philadelphia. We went to Upstate New York college towns. I did this every weekend, for a very, very long time. I'll admit, this wasn't my scene (I was a gay punk myself). But this was some of the best people watching I'd ever experienced.

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Being a bro is so many things. If you were to ask a cultural anthropologist they'd tell you it's a form of male socialization and self character. If you were to ask anyone who grew up watching MTV's Jersey Shore, they'd probably tell you it's about supreme confidence, leg grinding, popped collars and frosted tips.

The more photos I took at these clubs, the more a story began to unfold. I naturally gravitated to the most interesting subjects wherever we went. The imagery had a common theme, bros. I started to recognize these images as a mirror to the male gaze.

Their actions felt so animalistic and their behavior seemed raw. The way they puffed up their chests to beckon a woman's attention and present their sexuality to them. They were ready at any moment for a sudden brawl and loved to fist-pump. They wore their intoxicated emotions like a badge of honor at the club.

In the time before iPhone selfies, Instagram and Snapchat there was a different kind of self awareness; one that no longer exists today. It's so common to be photographed now at a club that people will pose automatically when they see a photographer. The know what angles work best on them. And it's with that hyper-awareness that we lose the realness of a moment. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to create this when I did and document a part of bro culture.