glitter and trauma.

‘Masturbation’ (words by Jaylen Strong, photos by Myles Loftin)

For this series I decided to interpret a piece of writing that my friend Jaylen wrote about the first time he discovered what masturbation was. This piece of writing really resonated with me, and compelled me to interpret it through photographs because I feel like I never really see many photo series that depict the nuances of male sexuality, and coming of age. I especially never see special moments like these being written about. With the photographs I created, I wanted to capture some of the feelings that Jaylen describes in his beautifully written poem. The awkwardness of all the things you learn and experience during puberty, the awakening of sexuality and sexual feelings, the weird feeling of guilt that comes with. The photos aren’t necessarily a linear depiction of the writing, but more of a depiction of the imagery I created in my head while reading the piece. They remind me of the moments self discovery that are very much a part of growing up.