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Do you remember the first time you had sex? Find the memory.  Put it in the front of your brain. Hold it there. Now let’s go in.

She’s wearing a dress. That means it’s an occasion. Rosa doesn’t care much for prim and proper. She doesn’t care much about what your parent’s think or even so much care about what you think. She wants you to “get drunk and by photos” . The imagess in referenced are from the show Do You Rember The First TIme? I Can’t Remember A Worst Time.The word that comes to mind to describe Rosa and her work is is unapologetic. If her last name looks familiar, you are right. She is a descendant of the Greek god Mercury; so tells her parents. That may or may not be true. She got her first camera in Poland. Rosa is not from Poland.

The photo above is a man in a dress. Knees unshaven “Hot Pink Dress Up”. I liked talking to Rosa. She speaks in fragmented facts. Informative truths that end in periods as if there no possible way to doubt their validity. Similarly, her work it is undeniable. The show is about sexuality, gender lines, social norms, and men in drag. Rosa Mercuriadis is a walking talking middle finger to the status quo. Her photography is what it would look like for that middle finger to control a lens.

“Red Lipstick And Fur” are two things I like to see people wearing, but most often those people are women. This is not the case with the photo above. Each image is hell bent on teaching the lesson that we can do anything we think we can get away with. As if to say ” Go have sex with who ever you find attractive.” its not so much about what a guy or girl should look or be like moreso the expression of those things we think about but would never say to our co-workers. The things we watch at night on our little laptop monitors with headphones so our spouses won’t hear. Somethings we even shame our own selves for loving it.

“14 Year Old Sex Symbol” was the first picture I saw. All I said was “DAMN that model is hot,” then I read the title. I think Miss Merc forces us to ask ourselves what we are really feeling. What are we running away from everyday when we let society tell us what we can and can’t do. After I found out the model was indeed 14 I wondered if it were even appropriate to portray her as sexy. Right after that I learned that it was Rosa’s sister. The image captures you and makes you see this girl as you would in a bar or a music video and it slaps you in the face with the knowledge that she is so young. It is unfair to play mind games Rosa. Especially since I can’t call her for another 4 years. Seriously though, if there is one thing to take away from this show it  is not to view teenagers as sex symbols. It is to view yourself as you really are and not be a shamed to face your desires head on. You”ll get a better understanding of the person you are and how you want to handle what you discover about yourself.

Rosa Mercuriadis

“Do You Remember The First Time? I Can’t Remember A Worst Time”