I'm not sure if it's amazing that after almost fifteen years of having super long hair I'm still learning new things to do with it, or if it's actually a little sad - especially considering that when people try to give me tips on taking care of it, my default reaction is, "you think I don't have it figured out by now?" The truth is, I'm not as adventurous as I might be, and, for what it's worth, I like to blame my upbringing as a boy instead of a girl for me not having the opportunity to learn all the hair tricks most girls take for granted.
For example, when I started going swimming again after a too-long hiatus, I originally had my friend put my hair up into a bun to keep it contained and out of the water, until I learned that it's so much easier, and not really any less effective, as long as you don't mind your hair getting wet (and that's usually inevitable anyway), to just simply braid it and be done! And, that's something I can do all by myself without too much hassle. In fact, I'd been lamenting my lack of experience braiding hair for many long years, and this gives me an opportunity to get some practice.
Even more, I've recently gotten into the habit of braiding my hair twice a day, so I'm definitely getting used to it now. And every day when I take my hair out of its braid, I like to brush it out before either washing it or braiding it again (to get all the loose strands under control). Braiding it makes my hair wavy, and brushing it out makes it bushy, and also very light and blonde. To be fair, this isn't anything I didn't genuinely know before -
I'm just reacquainting myself and getting more familiarity with it than
I've had in the past.
[description: series of nude bathroom mirror selfies emphasizing waist-length, blonde hair]
It's pretty wild and frizzy, but I have to say that it looks remarkable, and gives it new life that I didn't really think was possible up to a day or longer since its last washing. I was so taken with its beauty the other day, that I decided to do an impromptu photoshoot. I really liked how feminine my long hair looked, cascading over my soft and smooth skin, contrasting with the masculine cues of my chest and penis. I've never really liked the look of a girl with a penis, as you can see in so many "tranny" pictures on the internet, but I think I can better appreciate a man with naturally feminine traits.
[description: series of androgynous nude portraits of a feminine man with wavy, cascading hair]
It's inevitable that the rules of whatever photo site[s] I'm sharing my photos on will influence my photography. When I was on flickr, their lax rules regarding pornography inspired me to continually push the boundaries of my comfort zone. For that I am undoubtedly thankful, although I wonder if it's made me too liberal for the mainstream art world. Knowing myself, however, perhaps that was predestined, as the stricter rules on deviantART are frequently frustrating.
In the grand scheme of things, they're not so bad, as they're very pro-nudity (if you ignore the conservative dweebs on the site who are constantly complaining). The main thing is just that they don't allow erections. So, I started getting into the habit of occasionally shooting "tame" versions of my racier shots, with erections replaced with flaccid penises. In some cases, it works, although in many (especially where the erection is not incidental, but a key component of the eroticism of the image), it just falls flat.
Maybe this makes me a maverick, but then I started shooting myself in a semi-engorged state, trying to get my penis to look as large as possible, while still hanging down and not standing erect. It's certainly an interesting look, and I have to admit it's kind of exciting to almost feel like you're slipping one past the censors. Not that I'm interested in breaking the rules and getting myself banned, I just believe that good art pushes boundaries, and does not succumb to the chilling effect. Plus, the erection rule treats erections like a black and white, on or off switch kind of a thing, when the reality is a lot more complicated than that. Yay for shades of grey!
