One of the Boys (Yellow Back)

Esmaa Mohamoud grew up as the only daughter in a family of five children. She loved playing basketball with her brothers, but her mother insisted that she wear dresses. So, Mohamoud would top them with a basketball jersey. In her photographs, she probes gender stereotypes by posing men and women in basketball jerseys that have been transformed into ball gowns. Here, the model is shot from behind with her head bowed such that her identity remains anonymous. In contrast to the energy associated with the game, she registers stillness, one that can be read as defiant or contemplative.