#greygory

Greygory is a good friend of The Test Shot. For one, he sometimes cuts our hair at Open Barbers. He allowed us to make a film of his hair cutting project to share with other trans* and queer folk. During his shoot we became friends in turn with his pet rats, Harold and Maude (careful if you're scared of them and want to look at the pictures below). They are delightful. This was the first shoot that we really explored the streets of London. We found an abandoned house, among other architectural gems. A (faux) leather jacket really sets off a building, don't you think?

When not cutting hair, among other things, Greygory works in arts eduction.

Q. What is the significance of your top choices?

I have chosen a few things that I am quite attached to. Firstly my G jumper which was knitted for me by my trans brother’s mum. He has a matching F jumper. My Beano t-shirt which I had for years and used to read as a nipper. Also my Motorcycle Emptiness t-shirt which has been with me through many years of change! The marching band jacket, fake leather jacket and top hat are all things I bought when I was a baby Greygory and as such they all remind me of some memorable and exciting moments in my trans journey. Q. How do you define your own transmasculinity?

I identify as a female to male trans person who likes to be read as twinky queer. I love camp mannerisms. I don’t really aspire to pass as a masculine male. I am very drawn to people who I may read as trans, but I don’t know where they started, where they’re going, or in which direction. At the moment, I love outfits that involve gold lamé hot pants, but I haven’t ventured that far yet myself. What I have found interesting is that since accepting myself as trans, and taking measures to change my body in a masculine direction, I have become much happier to embrace my feminine side. Femininity is not something I need to reject anymore. When I identified as female, I couldn’t get my head around my place in feminism, but it seems much clearer to me these days how I can aspire to be a feminist without feeling like a hypocrite. I’m not sure that any of this will come across in the photos, but it’s how I define myself in my head.

Q. What do you want to communicate through your choices?

I just think I want to communicate comfort in my own body. To be honest I’m not very attentive to fashion, but Felix and Jess intervene if they sense that I’m losing touch. For the shoot, my choices include a lot of things with personal value. My body and style have been through their fair share of discomfort and self harm, and I have realised that these days I have settled into myself as someone I’m more often than not happy to be. I’m not trying to escape from myself anymore, I’m not quite sure when that happened, (maybe when I got past 30), but I attribute it largely to the generosity of my queer friends, community and my partner that I have come to accept myself as I am. Q. How has your fashion / style evolved?

On the whole I’m pretty practical about style, but I go through switchy phases where I want to be dapper for a while, scruffy for a while, camp for a while, or just comfy. I actually think my wardrobe hasn’t evolved that much, but I have evolved inside it. I am also a barber and hairdresser with Open Barbers, and this has made me more attentive to how much fun can be had with hair that doesn’t just reinforce gender norms and stereotypes.

Q. How would you describe your relationship to clothes?