with the project

R ECLAIMING PUBERTY

Author’s notes

- It is not hard, just fun. It doesn’t matter who you are: teen ages are probably the most terrible ones. Regardless of social status, teens are clumsy and have low self-esteem. They lack wisdom and life experience to see the whole picture. My teen ages were horrible. I had to live through it, but it was horrible. And when I understood that I became an adult, it was a great relief for me.

During my transition from woman to man puberty showed its ugly face again. Unwillingly I rediscovered all teenage feelings: physical, psychological and emotional. I had to adapt to living with a new changing body again; it was disturbing and scary. I felt like a puppy on its chubby paws in the world of adults. Fighting my fears, I had to lose or to accept the comic element of the situation. Of course, I had to live through the most terrible period of human life again. Certainly.

“Living through teen-ages again” is the story of an adult turning into teenager again. All the moments I had been dreaming about before the transition turned into reality 7 years later.

EVAN SCHWARTZ

Evan Schwartz was born in Chicago in 1982 with another name and sex.

Since his childhood Schwartz was interested in psychology and photography; narrative photography and self-portraits became the way to realize his transformation.