TELL ME I AM MANLY

By PAP Magazine Editorial

Shot in high-contrast black and white, this series documents the body as a site where masculine codes are worn and discarded at will. The subject crouches low, meeting the lens head-on, bare-chested save for a pair of sequined trousers whose metallic texture registers even in monochrome as shimmering, tactile armour. Hands adorned with heavy rings frame the face or trace the contours of skin, while a close-up reveals a delicate silver band resting on knuckles inked with a butterfly tattoo and minimalist numerals. The warm beige palette of the skin study foregrounds unvarnished detail—short nails, fine body hair, the dark flutter of the butterfly motif—turning ornament and epidermis into co-authors of identity. Flat studio light eliminates shadow but amplifies texture: the gleam of sweat, the grain of fabric, the ink's permanence against the ring's removable shine.