In queer culture, a “second adolescence” often occurs after coming out, as one experiences a transformation typically associated with teenage development. For me, that metamorphosis occurred during my late 20s when I began navigating my deeply ingrained unease toward my gender expression. I have always been considered “effeminate” in the manner I conduct myself, but have never overtly presented as such, particularly in my clothing. In the last year, I decided to grow my hair past my shoulders, and last July I dared to venture out to a rave wearing a slinky, emerald satin slip. While my femininity was confidently on display, however, I was furtively selfconscious.
In his photography series (2023), the Filipino artist Eric Bico encapsulates how it feels to unburden oneself of the internalized stigmatization surrounding being suit covering her entire body. In , a collaged series of one inch-by-one inch photographs depict ManiKween preparing her iconic ensemble against a deep-blue backdrop, from putting on white gloves to donning a black wig.
