This is a selection of images from a larger collection of facial expressions I've experienced when someone finds out that I'm trans. It’s a study of how my own identity has been developed by lies I believe. This isn't about documenting the receiving of these expressions but the relationship between offender and the threatened; these are expressions I've learned to turn back on myself as a collection of internalized transphobia. The looks are unintentionally archived in my brain and serve as a reminder of how I may be viewed as my identity evolves. Sometimes the looks are subtle, sometimes they're not. They represent skepticism, confusion and disgust. There's also the notion that if I’d just let someone look through me, they could see what or rather, who, was once there. Every look, a subtle shift, a lasting impression. These faces aren’t exact replicas. They’re based on memory which can also be skewed by emotion and imagination. The experiences of these expressions were real, but it’s the retelling of the stories over and over again that has shaped my belief system. A belief system that is fabricated by memory, sometimes specific and sometimes generalized. This exploration has brought to light the idea that I’ve been mimicking the behavior I’ve experienced from others by turning these looks back on myself. This forms a mirrored false narrative about my place in the world.
