Gay swans and non-binary butterflies: Neiama’s menagerie of photographic portraits challenges masculine stereotypes

In Neiama’s Masculinity Uncensored series you’ll find models beautifully re-imagined as a black swan, an emperor penguin, a chimera butterfly and a peacock. Neiama tells us what all these animals have in common with the people she photographs: “they possess qualities that are against traditional views on masculinity.” Aiming to challenge stereotypes about Asian masculinity, the photographer carefully interviewed her models before pairing them with an alter-ego from the animal world.

Harry, who spoke to Neiama about how he likes to dress flamboyantly, is reinterpreted vividly in the jewel-like tones of the male peacock. After discussing Timmy’s feelings of discomfort about being in public as a non-binary person, Neiama interpretted the model as a chimera butterfly, a non-binary insect with asymmetrical wings. Derek, a full-time dad, guises as an emperor penguin who lovingly tends his egg while the female penguin is out fishing for food. Her model Kenson channels the energy of a male black swan, a quarter of which have homosexual couplings in the wild, says Neiama.

Weaving her research into dream-like visuals with styling and props required the careful creative thinking Neiama learnt at design school. “I usually come up with concepts just like creative solutions to a brief”, she tells us. But while she enjoyed studying design, she couldn't see herself pursuing it in the long run. At the time a lot of her peers were experimenting with photography, so she bought her first Minolta X-700 and started taking portraits of her friends: “the texture and softness of the film made me believe that I was talented and destined to be a photographer”, she tells us.

After this first taste of photography, Neiama decided to rethink her career in design. She took a year off studying, approached a photographer she admired and began working with him. As well as teaching her the tricks of the trade, he encouraged her to do self-initiated projects and “work harder” for what she wanted. With this boost into the creative world, Neima began surrounding herself with talented people from diverse creative disciplines, often working with her friend and florist Kofe to create innovative floral compositions. She adds: “this industry is very competitive, seeing everyone working their best in order to be able to do this for a living, it motivates me a lot.”

Continuing to explore the natural world on a shoot with Merry Lamb Lamb, Neiama reimagined the musician as a sea creature, branching into more abstract photographic compositions. One of her favourite shoots to work on was with plus-sized model, Lezlie, from Hong Kong. “She wears XXXL, which is quite rare here, due to our genes in general”, Neiama explains. The photographer describes being inspired by the Lezlie’s confidence and kindness despite being bullied due to “a lack of education on diversity among kids”. Through the series Neiama aims to capture these elements of Lezlie’s character, and depict her as an icon of courage, inspiration and beauty for other women.