Not the girl you think you are
October 15, 2013 11:44 PM   Subscribe

JJ Levine is an artist based in Montréal whose photographic series Alone Time features one person as two different people, of different genders, in the same frame. The latest in the series has just debuted on Buzzfeed and features Levine's partner as both an expectant mother and an expectant father, as well as an interview with Levine.

And if that does your head in, also check out Levine's other gender-swapping series Switch. Many other works are also on Levine's website; some are NSFW.
posted by Athanassiel (18 comments total) 19 users marked this as a favorite
 
Well this just makes me want to crossdress.

The Patti Smith circa Horses is a nice touch.
posted by solarion at 1:41 AM on October 16, 2013


Kind of evokes the old fantasy of actually being able to go fuck yourself.
posted by Segundus at 1:55 AM on October 16, 2013 [2 favorites]


Kind of evokes the old fantasy of actually being able to go fuck yourself.

An aside: Is this really a common fantasy? Statistically at the very least it would have to be less common than being homosexual. If that's not true then there's something I'm greatly missing about it.
posted by solarion at 2:16 AM on October 16, 2013


Statistically at the very least it would have to be less common than being homosexual.

The Kinsey scale is a thing.
And people are very narcissistic.
posted by Gordafarin at 2:54 AM on October 16, 2013 [1 favorite]


The Kinsey scale is a thing.

A fair point, so scratch that bit. I'll just credit it to a lack of personal self-appeal on my part.
posted by solarion at 3:11 AM on October 16, 2013 [2 favorites]


Switch is very interesting to me.

I generally hate conceptual art, but not because I'm some cold conservative obsessed with objectivity and pragmatism. It's because I'm a grumpy asshole and conceptual art is a flood of half-baked ideas executed half-hearted or amateurishly.

Alone Time I can take or leave, honestly. I like the palettes and the saturation-- I think the photos are visually interesting, but the concept seems a bit forced or it's trying too hard for something. I think it missed, even though I think it almost works.

Switch is great. I think the prom/school dance style of the photos is the perfect framing for an exploration of gender, and putting the viewer through the process of evaluating the subjects in their photo-assigned gender is simple and smart. I found myself trying to discern which gender each subject identified with in life, and realized that it doesn't matter. It challenges without being offputtingly confrontational and that's fantastic!

Thanks for sharing this.
posted by Mayor Curley at 4:52 AM on October 16, 2013 [4 favorites]


I love this!
posted by Drexen at 5:03 AM on October 16, 2013


This is awesome! Personally I wish they had more of a "glamour" slant (like Derek Blanks' Alter Ego photos) but I would love to have these done. :)
posted by Anima Mundi at 6:00 AM on October 16, 2013


Pretty cool - thanks!
posted by rtha at 6:16 AM on October 16, 2013


It seems like the instruction to the people playing male in Switch was "don't smile." I would love to know why (it makes me reflect on the female smile impulse and how recognizeable it is).
posted by Miko at 6:33 AM on October 16, 2013


IMHO, Switch cheats a little bit by posing the people such that whoever is in male dress appears to be the taller member of the couple. All of the photos stop at calf level so this manipulation is invisible to the viewer. However, this choice also eliminates the need to show unshaven legs, awkward use of high heels, etc. that would detract from the photos' impact.
posted by carmicha at 6:48 AM on October 16, 2013


Switch and Alone Time are both really great. Good stuff.
posted by chunking express at 7:44 AM on October 16, 2013


I love these. I always wonder what I'd look like in drag because I have a sort of ultra feminine appearance (cis woman).
posted by sweetkid at 8:10 AM on October 16, 2013


These really make me smile.
posted by Theta States at 10:57 AM on October 16, 2013




There was an episode all about this on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race, "Here Comes the Bride." The remaining eight queens had to design and model both the bride and groom looks for a wedding photo shoot. A number of them had insecurities about looking masculine enough to play heterosexual grooms.

All eight couple photos here. Full video of the episode here.

I hate Tyra all over again.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:28 AM on October 16, 2013


Hm, site's not loading here. :-/
posted by jepler at 6:38 PM on October 16, 2013


Ha, maybe it's a Canadian thing! A friend of mine just linked to this series by Hana Pesut, also Canadian. In hers, couples switch outfits - sometimes there's some other hairstyle changes but no real attempt to gender swap, just clothing. Interesting contrast of approach!
posted by Athanassiel at 9:54 PM on October 16, 2013


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