LC: Absolutely, and I think that variance in the idea of what a male body should look like needs to be embraced. Your work also probably gets a ton of different reactions from people. What are some that have stuck with you and why?

PL: One time, I was in a large group show in a gallery in Chelsea and this old guy came up to me and said, “You’re wild.” I don’t know what this means, but I always find this kind of response interesting. It’s not positive, it’s not negative, but it’s a comment on me personally after seeing my work. I think that’s fun, and it’s something I enjoy. But I’m really open to people’s different opinions and I think that’s good.

I enjoy people who see my work and love it, and I also like when there are people who absolutely hate my pictures. No one really says it to me directly, but sometimes they’ll write an entire blog post about hating my work, saying “What is this woman doing?” But I think it’s good, because it opens up the topics I am trying to address. We all have different ideas, and I think it’s really about finding ways to express and communicate them. Through that, we can really being to understand each other, or at least open up some space for more understanding in the future.