The term ‘identity’ is defined as the fact of being who or what a person or thing is, and a close similarity or affinity. An individual’s identity can be influenced by their environment and their upbringing, as well as social factors such as culture, political standing, friendships and relationships. Additionally, an individual’s identity may be defined by their loss or lack of it; if an individual is unsure about who they are or who they want to be, then this in itself is also their identity. An identity is something that everyone has, regardless of whether they know it or not.

MOODBOARDS

My first initial ideas for my two photoshoots were to explore the themes of identity loss and gender identity. I think that especially in recent years, society as a whole has learned to be a lot more open and accepting of people’s choices about how they wish to be seen, not only by themselves but by the rest of the world too. Additionally, social media and the internet has had a heavy influence on topics such as self-confidence and the idea of the ‘perfect’ life. This could be tied into the theme of identity loss as what is being posted online is not always the truth; these people have lost themselves in the world of perfection so much that they do not know who they are any more. With the LGBTQ+ community slowly but surely being widely accepted across the world, the strict, traditional gender roles which have been in place for generations are becoming less and less prevalent, allowing these lines of restriction to be blurred and crossed by all members of society. Freedom of expression is something which everyone is entitled to, and I think it would be interesting to document the different ways in which individuals achieve this.