Photographer Pieter Henket describes the creation of his portrait "La Mujer" (The Woman), part of his series "Birds of Mexico City." The image features Ixchel Paz, a young Mexican woman wearing a lucha libre wrestling mask, captured in a dignified pose on the first day of the project. Henket explains how the series evolved from an earlier project, "Birds of New York," which celebrated young people in New York during the first Trump administration. After the pandemic, he traveled to Mexico City with his husband Roger Inniss, collaborated with stylist Chino Castilla and his team, and encouraged subjects to express their identities through costume and culture.
Henket's work matters because it challenges stereotypes and celebrates diversity, particularly for queer and marginalized youth. The photograph reclaims the lucha libre mask—a symbol of masculinity in Mexico—as a tool for self-expression and empowerment. Henket hopes the series inspires young queer people to see themselves represented and feel free to be themselves. The project highlights how street culture and personal style can serve as forms of revolution and pride, especially in societies with strong machismo traditions.