Growing up in culturally diverse New Orleans, I embraced at a very early age the decadence, pageantry, and exhibitionism of the city. I make images that explore the performance of identity and its various aspects, including sexuality, age, and gender. Simultaneously embracing and challenging the genres of portraiture and self-portraiture, I am particularly interested in the ever-changing standards of beauty and how external forces, including pop culture and the fashion industry, influence the ways we use costume, dress, gesture, body modification, and other signifiers to create, expose, or hide our public and private selves.