Loved-up couples? Think again! Incredible 'gender-bending' photo series shows one model playing both sexes



A new photo series sees one model convincingly taking on the role of both sexes in the same frame.

Montreal-based JJ Levine, who identifies as transsexual, captured his male friends posing as 'man and woman', and then digitally merged the two shots together to create portraits of 'loved-up couples'.



For one image his boyfriend requested to appear as a pregnant, blonde-haired woman on one side and as an expectant father on the other.

Role-play: Montreal-based photographer JJ Levine has unveiled a portrait series featuring one model convincingly taking on the role of male and female in the same frame

Other scenes show 'couples' reclining in bed, sharing the bathroom, reading on the couch and cooking in the kitchen.



Mr Levine, 30, said there was no digital manipulation involved and all of the characters were created with the help of clothes, clever make-up and body language.

Tricking the viewer: Mr Levine said there was no digital manipulation involved, and the male and female characters were created with the help of clothes, make-up and body language

Mr and Mrs: The shots, which were digitally merged together, appear to show loved-up couples

He said the aim of the series, titled Alone Time, is to show how gender is interchangeable.

' By doubling a single body within one frame, I celebrate the human capacity for gender fluidity and call into question the idea of authenticity of gender,' he told Buzzfeed.

'I’m trans, so I think about this stuff all the time in my day-to-day life.



Blurred lines: Mr Levine said the aim of the series, titled Alone Time, is to show how gender is interchangeable

Drawing on experience: 'I'm trans, so I think about this stuff all the time in my day-to-day life,' he said

Strike a pose: The facial expressions and body language were key to creating the images 'I express myself through image making; this focus is just one way that I can convey my ideas about myself and the world and the sometimes-messy intersection of the two.'

Mr Levine said the project was in part inspired by the late Hollywood drag queen Harris Glenn Milstead, who was known on stage as Divine.

At the beginning Female Trouble, a 1974 dark comedy, he plays a dual role - one male, one female - and was praised for being effective in both parts.

Historical reference: Mr Levine said the project was in part inspired by the late Hollywood drag queen Harris Glenn Milstead, who was known on stage as Divine

Goal: He hopes the images will inspire people to the 'possibilities beyond what is considered "normal"'

In a bid to inspire people to be more open to the ' possibilities beyond what is considered "normal"', Mr Levine started his photo series in 2007.



He told the Huffington Post of his aim: 'In other words, I want to convince the viewer of the many possibilities that may exist within a single surface perception or presentation.

