Gender Roles and Appearance

My intention in this series of photographs is to explore the gender dynamics and sexuality of my subjects. I am also trying to capture how these dynamics are transformed into “appearances” which my subjects feel they must uphold. They are preserved as they are passed down from one generation to the next. "You have to look good.” “You have to be a man.” “You have to look young if you are old, and old if you are young.” These social pressures are a focus in many people's daily lives. For most people maintaining and upholding an “image” has become an obsession. This obsession extends not only to appearance, but also to the gender roles one is imprinted with at a very young age. Throughout their life, the majority of people are trapped in the confines of these roles. It confines us all.