Dmitry Kostyukov

My computer thinks I am a woman — it simply evolved that way over time. The turning point, however, was when I received an email proposing a collaboration to work, not as a photographer, but as a model for a women’s swimsuit brand. Accepting, I became a Bright Ambassador, receiving a Scarlet One Piece swimsuit. A physical commodity thus connected the online and offline worlds.

This ongoing project explores communication with shopping recommendations, Instagram’s clichés, and interactions with friends and family. Growing up in a Soviet military city, my father’s disapproval of perceived feminine behavior shaped my perspective. In our internet and social media-driven world, societal patterns from traditional norms sometimes intertwine with emerging technological algorithms to produce interesting results.