[MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: A man in makeup and another in a dress. This is not your typical image of masculinity in Nigeria. And that's exactly the point of this photo shoot. The magazine A Nasty Boy aims to challenge gender constructs.
MAN: The idea that men can only wear pants or shirts, you know, when there are other men that would want to wear skirts and then there are other men that would want to wear makeup. So why don't we make it OK for them to do that? And so it's, you know, every day trying to tell the stories of these many people and then allowing them to feel among, and then to feel very Nigerian, which they are.
NARRATOR: While the photos in the magazine are never sordid, they always try to push boundaries. But they can be dangerous boundaries to cross. In Nigeria, homosexual acts can get you 14 years in prison. And photos like this are seen as very provocative in this conservative society.
MAN: Men are not really allowed to express themselves. I mean, we're not allowed bisexuals and stuff like that. So it's, like, it's very tight. So, like, for a brand like this is coming up I would say it's good. It's something different for the people who, like, who like to express themselves, who like to be themselves, who like to be different.
NARRATOR: The gender bending goes both ways. The girls in the photo shoots also subvert traditional concepts of femininity.
WOMAN: This is the first time that someone has actually played with the gender roles. Because in Nigeria, we're very conservative. So girls are meant to wear dresses, and look pretty, and have their nails done. I don't have my nails done.
NARRATOR: The online magazine went live in February this year. But creator, Richard, already has plans for a print version. He hopes to ride the wave of Nigerian fashion's increasing popularity abroad and bring his taboo-breaking work to an even larger audience.
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