Narrative: What is your story?
Describe in:

• 3 words: Gender, liberation, expression
• A sentence: My project is about how gender expression and gender roles have changed and developed through time, and how individuals are able to liberate themselves and express their identities through non-conventional gender expression.
• A paragraph: I will explore the relationship between people and their own gender identities, and the way they express themselves privately, compared to the way they express themselves to others. The book will focus on following how gender expression has changed and developed over time, and how, through the ages, what is accepted as normal and what is still considered abnormal and controversial has changed. The book will attempt to break the boundaries of gender identity, and show that personal identity can be both masculine and feminine, and the lines between the 2 do not have to be drawn so strictly. The book will also explore the danger of not being able to express ones identity due to fear of being judged by others, and the way that effects individuals.

Design: Consider the following

• How you want your book to look and feel:
  • Front and back cover (normal card-based) – continuous image across front and back cover – title in the bottom right corner or across the middle – small writing – unusual but subtle cover image to make the book interesting and eye-catching.
• Paper and ink:
  • Normal photo paper, minimal writing to give full attention to the images
• Format, size and orientation:
  • I will use a portrait orientation for my book, as the majority of my images are take in portrait mode, and I feel this orientation best reflects the theme of my book.
• Binding and cover
  • I am looking to bind my book using a common binding method, and will use one single image over both the front and back cover in order to express continuity.
• Title 
  • My title must include something to do with: gender, identity, expression, repression, male, female, liberation, sexuality, rebellion against the norm, society, individuality – examples of titles include:
    • “XXY” (including all chromosomes from both male and female individuals)
    • “FeMale” (both Female and Male highlighted respectively to show both sexes mixed together in the word)
    • “Fluid” (reflecting breaking from the norms of gender expression, and allowing for a more “fluid” gender identity which reflects the individual, rather than society)
    • “Liquify” (same concept as “Fluid”)
• Editing and sequencing
  • I will be sequencing the images in order to covey 2 sides of the same narrative; the struggles and successes of expressing ones gender identity – I will do this from both “male” and “female” perspectives, and will be mixing the two more throughout the book in order to ease the viewer into the understanding that gender expression should not be defined by stereotypes and expectations of the sex of the individual.
• Images and text
  • The book will focus more on imagery text – my essay will be incorporated into the book