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LADYBOY
digital collage 2017
The aversion of a feminine man is a common theme in America. This is clear in our culture’s divide between what gender roles entail. Girls are expected to grow up to be a feminine woman and boys are expected to grow up to be a masculine man. We have yet to realize on a mass scale that gender is a spectrum. Gender cannot be defined nor limited to any specific standard set by society. Out of 7 billion people in the world, it is highly unlikely that everyone experiences gender the same way. Therefore, gender should not and cannot be a binary. Gender should be more fluid and less strict. Everyone should be able to express themselves in any way they see appropriate, whether it may be feminine, masculine, or anywhere in between.
This aversion of a feminine man is not only present in popular culture, but also in the gay community. A lot of men are put off by the idea of a feminine man because their idea of being a homosexual male means that they must desire a ‘masculine’ man. Masc4masc has become a popular slang term in the gay community and basically means a masculine male is seeking a masculine male. The term has brought about a lot of controversy because it has opened the door for a lot of hatred within the gay community by shaming non-masculine males. However, thanks to the rise in popularity of drag culture, primarily a result of Rupaul’s Drag Race, the acceptance of the feminine man is becoming more accepted in gay culture. Another result of drag culture increasing in popularity in the mainstream is that gender bending is breaking into pop culture. If we continue on the path that we are on now, we will hopefully reach a genderless society where we have transcended above gender and focus on true self identity.
These ideas are what led me to create LADYBOY. My overall vision for the piece was to create a being that does not stick to one gender or another but is some being that lives in the middle of the spectrum. By utilizing unnatural colors, I avoided using stereotypical colors and body shapes that may imply one gender over another. Most importantly, I have an underlying sense of humor in my work because humor is the best way to learn about ourselves and our society. Humor puts energy and positivity into the air and that is something rare to find in modern times. If people just took life less seriously, their lives would be exponentially happier.
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