My MFA thesis investigated the intersections of personal style, collective joy, and political resistance through the exploration of fashion as a medium of queer storytelling and self-actualization. Drawing on the history of Camp aesthetics and the power of spectacle, this project celebrates the inherently political act of taking up space through self-expression. The work centers on a collaborative, community-based art practice that documents and elevates how individuals utilize clothing and personal aesthetics as tools for liberation, challenging heteronormative expectations through intentionally overt displays of queerness.

At a time when gender and sexuality minorities face increasing political hostility, this work positions queer joy and sartorial freedom as radical acts of resistance against systemic oppression. Through loud, flamboyant, and purposefully provocative displays of self-expression, this project embraces the historically promiscuous and "deviant" labels imposed upon the queer community. The research examines how the emphasis on artifice, exaggeration, and theatrical excess serves as both armor and celebration for queer individuals.

This work culminated in a fashion show performance and multimedia exhibition developed in partnership with Baltimore's diverse queer community members, including gender non-conforming drag performers, MICA students, and folks with the Pride Center of Maryland.

This project not only invited the greater queer community of Baltimore into MICA as an institution, but also fosters connection and social interaction with different queer groups in the city. By creating a space that celebrates rather than subdues flamboyant expressions of queerness, the work challenges respectability politics while building solidarity across diverse LGBTQ+ communities. The resulting installation served as both documentation and manifestation of queer joy as resistance, demonstrating how community-engaged art can transform personal expression into collective power. Through this lens, fashion becomes more than aesthetic choice– it becomes a weapon of visibility, and a celebration of survival.