Maika Elan: The Pink Choice

Maika Elan: The Pink Choice by Aline SmithsonFebruary 8, 2013

My friend, Sharon Johnson Tennant recently had the good fortune to meet Maika Elan on a recent trip to Vietnam, and Sharon kindly shared her work with me. Maika was born in Hanoi, and studied sociology at university before studying photography. Her work explores cultural themes of sexual orientation, of aging, of performance, and place. Her series, The Pink Choice, is a thoughtful series of portraits that look at a population that is seldom celebrated in Vietnam.

The Pink Choice

Homosexuality is no longer considered a big taboo in today’s world: people have heard a lot of it, have almost come to accept it. Many can easily say they are homosexual, or have homosexual friends. However, there still exists a large barrier, when the notion of homosexuality is still limited to define what homosexuality is and how “different” it is… The “acceptance” of the nature of homosexuality is mostly based on sympathy, ignorance or even contempt. There has not been any recognition and/or encouragement of homosexuality as human right to love and to be loved.

Insufficient and sometimes wrong notions of the community make homosexual people’s life very difficult. Depending on the society’s level of open-mindedness, homosexual people choose to act in different ways: Some gather at places like dance floors, karaokes, cafes. Others, more discreetly, make friends via internet forums. Some male homosexuals get married with women. Others choose to live alone. More noteworthy are those many (both gay and lesbians) who choose to live together openly as couples.

Thereon poses questions about their private lives: How do they live together? How do they express their emotions towards each other? What is interesting about their lives? Those questions, however, have remained great taboos. People avoid asking them, avoid investigating them, and even be scared of the possible answers…

Starting from my own curiosity, my own confusion and my own motivation, as well as my insights into homosexuals’ lives that I myself had a chance to witness, I wholeheartedly carried out this project: a photography document about homosexual couples’ daily activities and their private moments (called THE PINK CHOICE).

I want to tell the story by going into the great depth of love and intimacy. I want to avoid stereotypes of homosexuality. I also want to avoid the tabloid/shocking news style. I want to show simply how they care and love each other in daily activities. More strongly, I want to show that their loving and caring for each other is nothing deviant. They are all normal and natural behaviors, attitudes, thoughts and emotions.