In queer culture, a “second adolescence” often occurs after coming out, as one experiences a transformation typically associated with teenage development. For me, that metamorphosis occurred during my late 20s when I began navigating my deeply ingrained unease toward my gender expression. I have always been considered “effeminate” in the manner I conduct myself, but have never overtly presented as such, particularly in my clothing. In the last year, I decided to grow my hair past my shoulders, and last July I dared to venture out to a rave wearing a slinky, emerald satin slip. While my femininity was confidently on display, however, I was furtively self-conscious.  

In his photography series Bagong Salta (2023), the Filipino artist Eric Bico encapsulates how it feels to unburden oneself of the internalized stigmatization surrounding being a queer femme. I got to see the second iteration of the work at the multipurpose art space Club Kino’s inaugural exhibit last September in Manila. The collage depicted Bico’s gender-defying persona ManiKween (a portmanteau of “mannequin” and “kween”), recognizable through the pristine white zentai suit covering her entire body. In Bagong Salta, a collaged series of one inch-by-one inch photographs depict ManiKween preparing her iconic ensemble against a deep-blue backdrop, from putting on white gloves to donning a black wig.