Written by : Panagioti Tsiamis
On the 21st of June, 2019, the online platform “them.” published King Princess: Free to Be, an article meant to coincide with the upcoming release of the titular musician’s debut album. While King Princess is recognized in the music community as a formidable artist, she has also used her platform to destabilize long-held gender norms. In this way, she has become an icon of gender-fluidity and role model to many people who don’t fit into the established binary. The photo in question depicts King Princess, in a full-length body shot, staring dead-on into the camera, all the while lifting her dress to expose a pair of leopard print panties. This piece, while seemingly provocative at first glance, reflects the title—literally scattered throughout the photo—and allludes to the musician’s insight on sex, gender, and identity.
Further observation reveals much about this photo and its underlying message. She stands with a slight tilt, her shoulders relaxed. It is a stance of vulnerability but also confidence, further enhanced by the exposure of her lifted skirt. Her hands come to rest at her waist, as if King Princess were clutching a belt rather than the folds of a skirt. There is something distinctly masculine about her posture, contrasting the feminine attire. The intrigue and intensity produced by the lighting adds to the narrative of the photo and acts as a point of interest. How light plays out on the subject’s face is of particular interest. It is difficult for the viewer to look directly at her. The shadows produced by the angle of the lighting make her expression seem rather enigmatic. One side of her face is turned away from the light and the side turned toward is obstructed by loose strands of hair. The result is rather intense shadows on both sides, a motif in photography usually reserved for men. Her face isn’t bathed in light, there is no false sense of beauty or glamor. She challenges—dares—her audience to listen. The exposure of her undergarments is not seductive, but confident and honest, a shedding of skin: freedom. She is lifting the curtain, so to speak, to reveal something unexpected.
King Princess is situated at the very front of the frame, nearly filling it vertically. She almost appears too close, too personal, even as a full-length body shot. The foreground feels cramped. This is only emphasized further when the viewer becomes aware of how much space is behind her. In this empty space, King Princess is left alone with the viewer, producing a more private atmosphere and a more focussed scene. She is clothed in a mint green satin dress, complimenting the backdrop but wholly upstaging it. The green floral shirt peeking out at her collar bones also plays into this color palette. It is under her skirt where things diverge. Her boots are white and covered in yellow-accented fabric daisies. The matronly hues of the dress-shirt combo are contrasted by the girlish and childlike hues of the boots. The tone shifts again, however, as the panties come into focus. King Princess dons a pair of loud and obnoxious leopard print panties, rightfully acting as not only the center of the photo, but the center of attention. It contradicts not both the softer color pallette of everything else in the photo and the more demure imaging. The leopard print evokes a sexier and wilder form of femininity, also something decidedly tackier. The discourse of colors here is analogous to the discussion of sex and gender identity discussed in the article.
This photo is revealing, but not in the way one might expect. The details of the piece allude to a deeper meaning, something honest and far more serious. There are elements that seems to defy the norms of gender and sex and uphold the complexity of identity, challenging the status quo. This message, found embedded in the photo and the words woven throughout, advocates for a greater freedom: freedom from the expected.