I should say that my aim with this shot was to produce a tacky image (e.g. the harsh glare was intentional), because I think the message is tacky. I don’t know if this is the same in the States as the UK, but there are numerous shops in this country that sell ‘novelty’ lighters such as these. And invariably, they seem to be decorated with one of three motifs: naked (probably silicon enhanced) women, gothic/mystical imagery, or cannabis leaves/plants. And, personally, I think their appeal is rather limited – but I guess they must sell.

My other reason for including this shot is that it bridges yesterday’s and tomorrow’s images, both of which are (in one way or another) to do with masculinity. Yesterday’s said something about (stereo)typical visions of being male, today’s, sadly, neatly summarises certain aspects of (typical) male desire, and I’m not really sure what tomorrow’s says (it’s another self-portrait that marks a bit of a departure from my usual style), though I’ll attempt to summarise it tomorrow.

On a side note: my slightly irreverant self-portrait for last week’s Photo Friday challenge was awarded a noteworthy – many thanks to everyone who voted. The other noteworthies were from photojunkie, K8te, Tilnox, Szilvia and eyematter – all of which are worth a visit.