Hey Rooney

Are you Masc? Fem? Asian? A wolf? Bear? A jock?

Today, these Grindr-inspired gay subcategories matter, especially when it comes to who’s coming home with you.

Both fascinated and frustrated by this sex-hungry culture of labels, 25-year-old illustrator Andy Simmonds has found a way to subvert it, merging the masculine ideals so many gay men crave with the feminine pop that’s likely tickled them since they played with their sisters’ Barbies.

“It’s hard for me to say where the Bubblegum Fem idea came from,” says Simmonds, “or even how my aesthetic developed—it’s still developing and always will be. But the concept hits home. It speaks to me. I suppose it’s a combination of my obsession with pink, a sort of jock fetish, and a fascination with challenging notions of masculinity.”

The result of these supposedly clashing interests is a sprightly brand of bubble letters and highly distinct illustrations, which turn common phrases like “Masc-4-Masc” into something that looks like it was peeled off a My Little Pony poster.

And the typography and vibrant characters aren’t the only things Simmonds is sharing with his nearly 13,000 Instagram followers, who keep up with him at @heyrooney.

We love his work and Illustrations.

source: out.com