Pretty Boy Joy: Embracing Fluid Gender Expression

Pretty Boy Joy. Closeup portrait of a serene Black man with faded Afro hair and beautiful makeup posing by himself inside a living room with curtain background wearing a hat, white shirt and jewelry.
Pretty Boy Joy celebrates fluid gender expression — eight portraits that reclaim beauty, empathy, and freedom beyond imposed masculinity and femininity.

No harmony without empathy.

Pretty Boy Joy is the emancipation of imposed masculinity and femininity. It’s a celebration of authenticity — the liberation of the self from prescribed gender narratives.If you’ve ever been unfairly squeezed into a gender box you didn’t deserve or want to be in, then you’ve already been shaped by a societal stereotype.
If you’ve ever been asked to abandon a part of yourself to appear more suitable, you’ve probably wondered — why? Why the limits? Why the pressure to discard what feels perfectly natural?
We are all vastly unique, yet social norms continue to downplay this uniqueness. Pure individuality — free from gendered expectations — is too often dismissed as confusion or rebellion.
Pretty Boy Joy refuses that dismissal.

The Fashion Narrative

A visual story told through eight portraits, each one an act of quiet rebellion — a moment of softness, pride, and grace.

Portrait of a Black man in pink pants and white shirt sitting in a grey leather lounge chair — Pretty Boy Joy editorial.
Karl Lagerfeld Pink Pants, Dolce & Gabbana White Shirt & Belt, Gucci Black Shoes, Konplott Jewelry
Look 1: Pink pants, white shirt, black leather shoes — elegance without apology.

Confident Black man in a blue suit with jewelry seated on a grey bar chair — Pretty Boy Joy editorial.
Hugo Boss Suit, Dolce & Gabbana White Shirt, Konplott Jewelry, Gucci Black Shoes
Look 2: Blue suit, black leather shoes, jewelry glinting — masculinity in full bloom.

Serene Black man wearing a black suit, hat and jewelry on a grey lounge chair — Pretty Boy Joy editorial.
Gucci Suit, Prada White Shirt, Prada Hat, Konplott Jewelry
Look 3: Black suit, hat, white shirt, jewelry — a meditation on composure and power.

Sensual Black man in a grey tracksuit and white sneakers sitting on the studio floor — Pretty Boy Joy editorial.
Ralph Lauren Track Suit, Coach Sneakers, Konplott Jewelry
Look 4: Grey tracksuit, white sneakers — sensuality in repose.

Confident Black man posing in a blue tracksuit and white sneakers against a grey studio backdrop — Pretty Boy Joy editorial.
Puma Track Suit & Coach Sneakers
Look 5: Blue tracksuit — movement and stillness coexist.

Handsome Black man wearing a yellow mesh top, grey jeans and black boots — Pretty Boy Joy editorial.
Calvin Klein Yellow Shirt, Karl Lagerfeld Jeans & Doc Martens Boots
Look 6: Yellow mesh top, grey jeans, black boots — rebellion meets radiance.

Serene portrait of a Black man in a blue button shirt and white jeans seated in a grey lounge chair — Pretty Boy Joy editorial.
Karl Lagerfeld White Pants & Blue Shirt, Coach Sneakers
Look 7: Blue shirt, white jeans, white sneakers — lightness, leisure, liberation.

Pretty Boy Joy. Closeup portrait of a pretty Black man with faded Afro hair and beautiful makeup sitting by himself inside a studio with grey background wearing a black and white sweater, black hat and jewelry.
Karl Lagerfeld Black & White Sweater, Konplott Jewelry, Prada Hat
Look 8: Close-up portrait — quiet confidence and self-defined beauty.

The Weight of Gender Roles

Gender roles are learned scripts — stereotypes that dictate who we should be, how we should act, and what parts of ourselves we’re allowed to show.

Traditionally, men have been expected to display strength, power, and competitiveness — but not vulnerability, tenderness, or beauty.

These expectations don’t just restrict men; they distort all of us.

Gender stereotypes shape self-perception, influence relationships, and define how we show up in the world.
In schools, they affect how children learn, play, and dream. In adulthood, they affect how we love and lead.

Censored Selves

From the moment we’re born, we are molded to fit in. Most of us have experienced gender-specific expectations — some harmless, others haunting.

Sometimes, conforming feels good. Sometimes, it’s exhausting. But the problem begins when the performance replaces the person — when we are expected or shamed into playing roles that don’t belong to us.

Stereotypes are not the enemy when they’re chosen — only when they’re imposed.
Freedom means having the choice to embody whatever feels authentic.

Fluidity as Freedom

Fluidity is not confusion. Fluidity is liberation — the right to navigate life as your own entity.

It means being free to love who you love, wear what you wear, and exist as you are — beyond labels, beyond scripts.

It includes everyone: feminine men, masculine women, non-binary souls, and everyone in between.

To be fluid is to live honestly — to choose without fear.

Who Decides What’s Normal?

What’s normal to one person might seem radical to another. And that’s okay.

Progress doesn’t mean erasing tradition; it means expanding it. We can hold space for those who feel comfortable in stereotypes, and for those who exist entirely outside them.

Gender is real. But so is individuality — that complex, beautiful mix of identity, experience, and emotion that makes each of us whole.

No Harmony Without Empathy

We don’t always have to understand each other. We don’t even have to agree. But we do have to listen.

Empathy is the bridge between freedom and harmony. When we replace judgment with curiosity, we create room for others — and for ourselves.

“Controversy is a bourgeois pastime. Our deeds are our true arguments.” — George Orwell

Offer freedom to others, and you free yourself.

Pretty Boy Joy

A visual manifesto celebrating freedom, empathy, and the beauty of being unapologetically yourself.

Pretty Boy Joy Credits

Photographer: Phil Halfmann
Creative Director: Sophia Lenore
Wardrobe Stylist: Sophia Lenore
Hair Stylist: Sophia Lenore
Makeup Artists: Aida
Model: Troy

Makeup by Charlotte Tilbury Makeup
Hair products by L’Oreal
Nail products by USLU Airlines

Wardrobe Credits

Calvin Klein Yellow Shirt
Coach Sneakers
Doc Martens Boots
Dolce & Gabbana White Shirt
Dolce & Gabbana Belt
Gucci Suit
Gucci Black Shoes
Hugo Boss Suit
Karl Lagerfeld Blue Shirt
Karl Lagerfeld Pink Pants
Karl Lagerfeld White Pants
Karl Lagerfeld Black & White Sweater
Karl Lagerfeld Jeans
Ralph Lauren Track Suit
Prada White Shirt
Prada Hat
Prada Frames
Puma Track Suit
Jewelry by Konplott

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