DESTROY OUR FUTURE

Create a new one.

Our bodies are our space. Our power. Adorned with the glyphs of gods and deities, as the Maya did hundreds of years ago. Across the history of the world, we understood our connection to the soil that fed us, and returned the blessings given to us by the earth by scarifying our bodies in its name. We carry this ritual with us. The fight over autonomy in favor of external forces determining my worth is not exclusive to my self-expression but has been a spiritual battle across cultures, across generations. This society, this culture, this administration seeks to control our bodies, our space, our futures. We give away OUR time, OUR bodies, OUR labor.

I am criticized for the piercings on my face, the color of my skin, and the texture of my hair. Consider that I am a cis-presenting heterosexual man. Women are denied autonomy over their bodies in parts of the world, African Americans are brutalized by law enforcement, and immigrants are being sent to concentration camps.

Despite all of that, we love, we celebrate, we dance, we put on our best clothes, we smile and laugh, and we love each other.

Fashion is a performance, but it is not necessarily performative. What we wear assists in the way we navigate space and how we can connect to each other and appreciate each other. Through research and appreciation, our experiences shape how we express ourselves to the world.

Hold us tightly, we will hold you within us.