Drag Queen Jesse and Boy Jesse
My friend Jesse is a boy during the day and a drag queen late at night. He told me that he has never really been accepted, being "too fat, not fat enough," "too hairy, not hairy enough," "too feminine, too masculine," "too ugly, too pretty." He has never been "enough" in the straight community and the gay community he has immersed himself in. With this body of work I captured the natural moments of two very different persons, "Drag Queen Jesse" and "Boy Jesse." I wanted to reveal the intimate moments between Jesse's perceived beauty and ugliness, his cold and subtle warm expressions that make him a misfit or outcast. I wanted to encapsulate his spatial surroundings, the messy bedroom, the discarded trash, empty bottles, dusty blinds but also his vibrant make up, hot pink dress, the orange ornate tapestry, the tranquil origami cranes and dark sophisticated chimes. All of these objects matched Jesse's thoughts about what others think of him but were also personally nostalgic of moments from my own past, the transitions I grew from and my dark feelings of being rejected for who I am. 
