Melissa

Melissa grew up in Brighton, the “gay capital” of the UK, but the Rockabilly femme or stereotypical “butch” lesbian looks worn by Brighton’s queer women didn’t line up with her identity. She described herself as “straight-ish” then gay/lesbian, but now uses queer/bisexual and sometimes pansexual too. Melissa worked in fashion but having seen how the industry works, tries not to buy new clothing. She lives in East London with her spouse Tamsin, and friends.

Since coming out, I've realised I don't enjoy the male gaze. I don't think I ever have done. Because it was there whether I liked it or not, I kind of dealt with it. So the idea of a stranger eyeing me up, or the idea that they think that I have dres

After coming out, I was a bit more interested in marking myself as queer, like butching up and becoming more masculine. I was like, “Well, you know, I'm gay now. Surely, I'm going to dress differently”. Obviously, with time I’ve realised that your se

If I'm going to be in a crowd that are sort of “my people”, I express myself a little bit more. And that might be slightly more revealing clothing, brighter clothing or more makeup. As quite a straight-presenting woman, if I dolled up for going to a