words are strange and possess all kinds of powers. words take shape and hold weight and breathe life. عيب “eib” in arabic means shame. have you no shame? where is your shame? shame on you! i have held in a lot of shame: shame over my body, my sexuality, my femininity, my ethnicity. shame has followed me from my youth well into my adulthood, and i have been carrying the weight of shame for what has felt like a lifetime, and it has been very heavy. slowly, i am learning i have nothing to be ashamed of. in fact, my body, my sexuality, my femininity, my ethnicity; the whole of my identity, are the very things that have guided me through all times. the shame that has made me feel alienated and inferior, the shame that has been pressed so heavily against me is beginning to lift, slowly. i feel lighter, i feel more me. i am returning to my body. as I continue to live as nader and perform as k’hole, i now realize i am shedding my shame and celebrating the very important pieces of who i am, and sharing it with anyone who understands and feels the exact same way i do. no more shame. 📸& set: @izzedanner 👗: @iamjacobblank 👀: @redhotannie 💅: @angrybbynails ⛺️: @americapwrs