1 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
2 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
3 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
4 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
5 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
6 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
7 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
8 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
9 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
10 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
11 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
12 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
13 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
14 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
15 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
16 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
17 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
Jesse
“I am genderfluid:I portray whatever aspects of gender I feelare fitting at the time.I am whoever I want to be,and it's pretty damn awesome.”
Jesse is a biological male yet does not identify with one gender over another.
18 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
19 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
20 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
21 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
22 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
23 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
24 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
Mike
"I think gender is a continuum. We are both male and female at the same time - we have male and female characteristics, desires, and sometimes male and female body parts. We dress like both, make love like both, and want both as partners and as role models. Some are closer to one side or the other on the continuum, but everyone is both genders-- hether they say it or believe it or want it or accept it or not.
I am bi-sexual: a male in form. I love men and women. I shave everything because it frees me from a layer of masculine identity so that I can be closer to my mixed gender-self. I am proud and happy to be a man and would not change my body parts or core features that identify me. I like to feel part of my feminine side, and shaving everything makes me feel a little bit that way. It's about how I feel about myself and shaving is an outward sign of an internal feeling.
25 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
26 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
27 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
28 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
29 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
30 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
31 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
32 of 32
© 2021 Sara Swaty
Bernard
"I view my androgyny as a manifestation of the media. I am every gender and no gender simultaneously. Some days I wake up and want to be old and sometimes I want to be Hispanic. I find that I am more than gay by today's standards especially. I'm more than a cross dresser and more like an imitation of multiple cultures. I think my gender would best be described as decidedly confused."
Public Story
In Between & Outside II
Credits:
sara swaty
Updated: 02/16/17
The idea of gender and its associated roles, responsibilities, and expectations has fascinated me for years. Mainstream culture and society impact how we as a people view gender. Where we live and how we are raised dictates our own perceptions of gender, and what is ‘normal’ or ’weird’, ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’
In Between & Outside began as a project focused on gender expression, which led me to photograph people within both straight and LGBT communities in an effort to capture images that question traditional gender roles and explore alternative identities beyond the rigid male-female binary. Over time, I realized that this project was more than documenting individuals’ pursuit for their ideal visions of masculinity, femininity, or somwehere in between—it became a place to explore identity, self-conception, and how these roles are altered within societal and cultural contexts.
In Between & Outside explores gender identity and the physical body across a broad spectrum of individuals, whether they be gay, straight, transgender, or anywhere in between and outside, by referencing how cultural preconceptions about gender have created unattainable ideals about masculinity and femininity.
What does it mean to be masculine or feminine? To be a man or a woman?
www.InBetweenandOutside.com