I took this picture, called La Mujer [The Woman], on the very first day of a project called Birds of Mexico City. I remember thinking, in that moment, that this is one of those rare pictures where you know immediately something special is happening.

But the story really began earlier, with a project called Birds of New York. During the first Trump administration, people were being so negative about New York, saying: “It’s not interesting any more. Young people are not doing anything.” And yet we kept seeing these very beautiful kids. I said to my husband Roger [Inniss]: “These kids are like birds. I wish I had been free like them when I was a young teenager in the Netherlands. They don’t care about what people think about them.”

So we invited them to our studio to photograph and celebrate them, and say to the world: “Look, New York is alive.” It was a success, but then Covid came. I was thinking about continuing the bird project and eventually we travelled to Mexico City, a magical place. Mexicans are endlessly creative. They use colours like nobody else, and the city is full of the most wonderful old houses and trees. There’s lots of passion and culture on the street.

Roger had heard about Chino Castilla [a fashion stylist and costume designer in Mexico City]. I met him, explained the project, and he then brought together a group of his friends and collaborators. I told them: “I want you guys to tell your stories and use elements from your culture to represent yourselves through costume.” We set up a tiny studio.

I wanted Chino and his team to be very free, so the costumes were not always deeply planned out; there were a lot of spontaneous moments. Ixchel Paz – La Mujer – was sitting there with the lucha libre wrestling mask on and Chino was wrapping her with bunting. I remember saying: “I think it’s too much. Look at her sitting there with just the mask.” So he took it all off and I said: “Ixchel, you look so beautiful. Would you mind if I take a photo of you just like this?” She gave the OK and I said: “I would love it if you look very proud.” She turned sideways and her whole body went into this very dignified pose.

I knew we had something very strong we could build on. I always feel that with my projects: I need that first day to crack a code. You create a scene for people, then let them free. With Ixchel, she was sitting there very vulnerable, but we had this crew of great people that beamed energy towards her. In Mexico, the lucha libre mask is a symbol of masculinity; Ixchel was claiming that for herself, which I think gives the image power. The country has a strong machismo culture, but these kids are walking the streets with all their pride and all their happiness, and they don’t let anybody get in the way of that.

I think a photoshoot should always be about the subject, not the photographer. It’s scary getting your photo taken, to sit there and put your trust in the team. I asked Ixchel: “What did you feel about this picture and the whole session?” She said: “For me, posing in front of a lens has always been a form of revolution, because showing myself in an industry full of stereotypical beauty is my way of saying that diversity exists and that I hope more people will see themselves represented … The photograph represents the dignity of bodies and the right to show ourselves without fear, along with the pride of being Mexican and Latina.”

This project is not only about being queer, it’s about young people being free. But what I hope is that a young queer person sees this somewhere in a bookshop and thinks, “These people are just like me”, or, “I can also be like that.”

You see them – “the birds” – in London, too, and in other cities more and more. And because I wasn’t that kind of teenager when I was young, when I see them now I want to celebrate them.

Pieter Henket’s Birds of Mexico City is published by Damiani Books

Pieter Henket’s CV

Born: Geldrop, the Netherlands, 1979.
High point: Standing in New York’s Metropolitan Museum with my father/mentor looking at my photograph on display, and later learning that my work had been acquired for the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Top tips: Make your subject feel seen. The shoot is about them, not about you. Never let them see you sweat. Stay curious. When you’re starting out, shoot for yourself and don’t worry about posting everything. Play with light and try to tell stories. Become a photographer because you love it, not to become rich.