This glimpse of a broader series of photographs depicts two models in a gothic-inspired environment who are going against the grain. People are so quick to identify articles of clothing as feminine or masculine. Even department stores separate clothing by a men’s section and a women’s section. The same goes with poses—certain ones are defined as feminine or soft while others are masculine and hard. The intent for this project was to blur those lines. The styling was done to soften up what society tells us should be clothing for the male-presenting model, while we worked to harden up the attire for the female-presenting model. Their poses followed suit, with the female-presenting model in powerful stances while the male-presenting model relaxed their expressions and loosened their body to create svelte lines. We are more than the labels society brands us with. We can break out of those limiting boxes. And in this series, we did exactly that.