May is 20 years old and grew up in Dubai, an Arab country that is considerably more westernized than many others in the Middle East. I thought it would be interesting to start the portrait series with her, as she may have been less impacted by the cultural expectations placed on women in more conservative countries. Nonetheless, while she was not as affected by all of the taboos, as a young Arab—unmarried—woman, she still faced strong stigmas surrounding her sexuality and sexual relations.

Although the model claimed she knew that being in relationships was not “wrong,” she still felt a need to be conservative and conscientious about it. This expectation led her to feel nervous and insecure about relationships and intimacy, as there is a deeply rooted notion that it is inherently wrong. For these reasons, I wanted to emphasize and allude to the emotions she experienced, while also empowering her.