Backstreet Boys star A.J. McLean has shocked fans by dressing up in drag for a new photoshoot with controversial artist Tyler Shields.
The Shape of My Heart hitmaker donned a strapless couture gown and open-toed platform pumps for the gender-bending shoot - just hours before he tied the knot with his fiancee Rochelle Karidis during a Gothic-themed ceremony on 17 December (11).
MCLean hopes the snaps resonate with his followers because they carry an important message.
Shields tells UsMagazine.com, "It's funny because people have a stigma about people in boy bands. A lot of people just think, 'Oh, you are in a boy band, so you must be gay,' which could not be further from the truth. I think we just wanted to play with that."
And Shields was impressed by MCLean's willingness to push the envelope.
He adds, "Walking across the street in those shoes is brave for anyone, but when you have no practice at it and almost fall down 10 times while wearing a dress... I'll give it to him. I was impressed!"
Even though MCLean's then-fiancee didn't mind her husband-to-be cross dressing, Shields says, "She thought it was best not to put it (the pictures) up at the wedding."
The pop star has taken a liking to Shields' work as of late - he recently purchased one of his photos featuring a bloody Lindsay Lohan posing as a vampire.