Held Between is an editorial featured in 17:23 Magazine’s July 2026 issue.

Exploring duality, Held Between portrays the subtle tension between light and dark within the feminine identity.

Through shifting forms and shapes of the body and materials, Thais moves between different states: softness versus strength, visibility versus obscurity, and presence versus withdrawal. Representing how femininity can be shaped internally and perceived externally.

Rather than trying to define a fixed state, this series holds the different versions of us together. Suggesting that wholeness exists not in choosing one version of ourselves, but in acknowledging both the light and dark. Femininity is not fixed; it’s a deeply dynamic identity that is layered and blooming – we are always expanding.

The shoot was in collaboration with model Thais Borges, from Elite Lisbon. Photography & styling by Naomi Martin Studio.