Last week

The last few weeks I have been doing a ton of research, trying to find a way to raise questions about the concept of gender. I have found that I am really able to push expectations when I bring the camera into the studio, because it eliminates distractions, and brings the focus to myself. I am also able to manipulate my appearance more with the use of make-up, wigs, clothing. I found a few artists on ASX blog that work in both photography and film. I have been using these artists to explore the potential I have of expressing my gender in front of the lens. Elisha Smith-Leverock made a short film about a woman who is a bodybuilder. The video shows a different, and in a sense taboo, expression of femininity. 

http://www.americansuburbx.com/2011/03/asx-tv-elisha-smith-leverock-i-want-muscle-2011.html

Steven Meisel is a fashion photographer, but the behind the scenes video of his Hotel Chelsea shoot has an air of androgyny. The male subjects wear clothes that are against the social norm, and the female model displays femininity that contrasts the model above. The males act quite feminine and the woman has a boyish figure. These motifs are influential because they can be uncomfortable for our society to view.

http://www.americansuburbx.com/2009/10/asx-tv-steven-meisel-italian-vogue-2011.html