Born
Naked
Femme•phobia (n.)
the fear or hatred of persons who are perceived as femme,
effeminate or feminine regardless of their gender or sexuality
Prompted by everyday manifestations of explicit and internalized misogyny, Born Naked is a curation of essays and photographic work that propose to break from rigid gender rules. Essays include Judith Butler’s work on gender performativity, an alternative perspective on gender— to think of gender not as an assigned object, but as a constantly lived-out performance. A gallery of images showcases the selected works of Robert Mapplethorpe, Lissa Rivera, and Francesca de Chirico; each photographer’s work represents a facet of the diverse range of people who identify as femme, prefer to be femme, want to be femme.
Countering gender anxiety and antipathy with acceptance and appreciation,
the book approaches femmephobia with a softness intended to disarm, inform and inspire.
* Special thanks to Tyrone Drake for his guidance throughout the term.
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‘We are all born naked and the rest is drag.’
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