“Yesterday is a wrinkle on your forehead
Yesterday is a promise that you’ve broken
Don’t close your eyes, don’t close your eyes
This is your life and today is all you’ve got now”
Switchfoot – This Is Your Life
After six colors and six posts, (a little over) last week I did finally reach the end of this year’s Pride At Home Pride Month Color Block Challenge. 🏳️🌈
The challenge itself focused on the six colors of the traditional rainbow flag (which you can see more about by clicking on challenge or reading any of the prior posts), and over the last couple of weeks I’ve had the chance to explore each one through photographs, music, and whatever thoughts happened to surface while I was putting everything together. Looking back, I don’t think the series ended up being about colors as much as it was about the different ideas they represented. But once I finished the final color, I realized there were still stories left to tell.
For a long time, the rainbow flag was the symbol of Pride. Created by Gilbert Baker in 1978, it became a banner that represented the LGBTQIA+ community as a whole and remains the image many people immediately think of when Pride Month arrives each June. Over time, additional flags were created to represent specific identities and experiences within the broader community. While the rainbow flag remains an important symbol of unity, these newer flags tell stories that are uniquely their own. So while this post isn’t officially part of the challenge itself, it felt like a natural continuation of the journey.
This photograph is inspired by the light blue stripe of the Transgender Pride Flag. Created by Monica Helms in 1999, the Transgender Pride Flag features light blue, pink, and white stripes. The blue stripes represent boys and men, the pink stripes represent girls and women, and the white stripe represents people who are transitioning, nonbinary, intersex, or identify outside the traditional gender binary.
I briefly touched on why Pride Month matters to me back in the first post of this series, but this flag carries a more personal connection. Some of you already know this, while others may not. In 2023, my daughter became my daughter by her own choice at the age of 18. There was never a dramatic moment attached to it. No conditions. No negotiations. No expectations. Just the same love, support, and pride that had been there the day before and every day since. That’s a big part of why I wanted to continue this series with the Transgender Pride Flag.
While I was working on the photograph, I kept coming back to Switchfoot’s This Is Your Life. Not because it directly relates to the transgender experience, but because of the question that sits at the heart of the song. Are you living the life that’s truly yours? It’s a simple question on the surface, but the older I get, the more complicated it seems.
So much of life is spent navigating expectations. Expectations from family. Expectations from society. Expectations from people who think they know what’s best for us. Sometimes those expectations line up with who we are. Sometimes they don’t. Sometimes people spend years trying to fit into a version of themselves that never quite feels right before finally finding the courage to follow a different path. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to continue this series beyond the rainbow colors.
The Transgender Pride Flag represents experiences that are unique to the people who live them, but I think the idea of authenticity is something many of us can understand. The desire to be recognized for who you are. The freedom to stop performing a version of yourself that exists for someone else’s comfort. The ability to look at your own life and feel like you’re actually living it.
When I think about Pride Month, that’s one of the things that stands out most to me. Not perfection. Not having everything figured out. Just the opportunity to exist honestly. To wake up each day and move through the world as yourself. That might sound simple, but for a lot of people it hasn’t always been guaranteed.
For the styling, I wanted something that felt relaxed and reflective rather than overly polished. I started with the -ODIREN- Razor T-Shirt in Ombre Sea, which immediately gave me the light blue tones I was looking for, and paired it with [Deadwool]’s Dean jeans for a casual look that felt at home by the water. I also added [MFCNT’s] HOBO BEADS beard, using the light blue bead option to tie another piece of the flag’s color palette into the overall styling.
The photo came together around MINIMAL’s Cala Bonita Scene. Between the ocean backdrop and the included surfboard from [..::CuCa Designs::..] Noah 03 pose, the whole image ended up leaning into the coastal, free-spirited feeling I associate with Switchfoot’s music. It felt like the perfect fit for a song that’s ultimately asking whether we’re living authentically and making the most of the life in front of us.
For me, that’s why This Is Your Life feels like such a fitting soundtrack for this photograph. Not because it provides answers. Not because it tells us what our journey should look like. But because it reminds us to stop and ask the question. Are we living as ourselves, or as the version of ourselves that other people expect us to be? I think everyone deserves the opportunity to answer that question honestly, and maybe that’s what Pride has always been about. 🏳️⚧️
“This is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be?
When the world was younger and you had everything to lose”
Switchfoot – This Is Your Life
Credits:
Head: LeLUTKA.Head.NOA.4.0 ~ Jaden Nova
Head Applier: VELOUR: KALEB Skin for Evo X ~ Kiria Mama
Hair: [MFCNT] THOR Bun – Grooming Hair – LeBarbier Alpha
Hairbase: LeLUTKA.EvoX.Hairbase.044 (BOM) ~ Jaden Nova (Comes with the LeLUTKA NOA Head)
Eyes: Avi-Glam. Prism Eyes – Pack 2 ~ Eye Daddy
Ears: ^^Swallow^^ Gauged S Ears ~ Luciayes Magic
Ear Tattoo: RichB. Ears Tattoo #08 ~ Salvy Hexem
Beard: [MFCNT] HOBO BEADS Beard & Stache – LeBarbier Alpha
Beard Layer: [MR] Jimmi Facial Hair for EvoX Heads Style 1 ~ Daniel Whiskers
Body: [LEGACY] Athletic Edition (1.7.1) ~ MeshBody Resident
Skin: VELOUR: PICASSO HOMME Skin for Legacy (FIT/TAN) Picasso Neck ~ Kiria Mama
Hand BOM: K.O.K.O.S SHOP – SEXI MAN HANDS-BOM ALL BODY. ~ Aleric Dallas
Nails: Pare.Cure Mesh Nails Both Hands [Short] – Legacy ~ Flazedo Resident
Shirt: -ODIREN- Razor T-Shirt(Legacy/Athletic)-Ombre Sea ~ OdirenSL Resident
Pants: [Deadwool] Dean jeans ~ Masa Plympton
Rings/Bracelets: *RE* Atreides Bracelet & Rings ~ Crashnoww Resident
Earrings: = DAE = SXD1 ~ Naomi Darkheart
~Scene~
Backdrop: MINIMAL – Cala Bonita Scene ~ MINIMALgroup Resident
Pose: [..::CuCa Designs::..] Noah 03 ~ Cuore Capalini