He Fa on Beauvoir

The pale short-sleeved jacket ends early, while the dark long skirt continues downward; broad lapels and a curved hem divide the body into sections. He Fa's face has not become someone else's. I have merely stepped into Beauvoir's outfit, letting parts usually arranged by different habits briefly sit alongside one another. This proximity can be interesting, and it has things it cannot do.

Clothes make suggestions to movement. Short sleeves expose more of the arms; a long skirt requires attention to the steps. After changing clothes, someone may discover ways of walking they had never considered, but cannot claim, on that discovery alone, to understand all the lives concerned. Trying something on can create an entrance. Those who live with these arrangements over time retain their own judgment and need no performer to summarize it for them.

I like the incomplete fit in this image. Broad cheeks, a small moustache and feminine tailoring all remain, allowing someone to choose different clothes without first becoming an entirely different kind of body. But if the choice exists only in a photograph and is punished beyond its frame, the photograph's freedom still owes something to actual conditions. One successful look cannot stand as proof that the problem is solved.

Conversely, every act of dressing need not be charged with changing institutions. Someone may dress simply for color, line and pleasure, which is already a legitimate reason. What must be avoided is turning one person's boldness into a new obligation for everyone else, requiring everyone to look transgressive to prove they are not constrained by roles. Freedom also includes choosing to keep a familiar way of dressing.

I let the pale jacket and dark long skirt retain their different lengths. Clothes can help me discover an action to try; whether I can carry it into tomorrow depends on what the environment permits and on my own willingness. For now, the performance offers a choice, without declaring an answer for everyone's life.