By Julia Block
Like most college students, Eman El Saied is afraid of dependency. However, instead of ghosting after the third date or never responding to that text, El Saied decided to confront the issue at hand with a gender bending fashion shoot.
“This series was inspired by my fear of dependency. Maybe “co-dependency” is a better word because relationships go both ways. Fear because the idea of completely needing someone for everything whether it may be emotional stability, financial stability or even mentally is so scary.”
“Speaking from experience, I was in a very co-dependent relationship and once I left the world of possibilities blew wide open. I felt like I held back so many of the most beautiful parts of myself because I needed my partner to fill the empty spaces.”
“In these images I want to switch gender roles to show that yes, women sometimes do actually wear the pants and the man is feminine. Throughout the media it’s all we see. The woman is the dramatic, over emotional, and sensitive one. When in reality it goes both ways. It difficult to find that happy medium.”
Photographer: Eman El Saied, @sunstoney
Stylist: Chang Justice, @changjustice
Models: Emily Dunston & Ben Groover, @elvishemily @zooswithoutzeebras