Seen

Growing up gay in Kalamazoo was not a walk in the park

Between bullies at school and brothers at home, let's just say it was dark

I literally hid in a closet so they wouldn't see me cry

Then one day on a rack at a corner store a magazine caught my eye

The girl on the cover looked back at me as if to say, hey, I know who you'll be

I read the whole issue right there by the clerk when my runway in hand, my heart went to work

Seen, suddenly seen, in every page of that magazine

A part of me nobody recognized, yes, reflected in the Yves Saint Laurent silhouette

Seen, suddenly seen, as more than a shy and awkward teen

Runway gave me a glimpse of a world where someday I could be seen

I studied designers in detail, kept clippings under my bed

I pretended to play with my GI Joes but made them new clothes instead

At 18, I ran to Manhattan, got hired at a runway like you

Miranda looked over a layout I'd made and said, "Nigel, that'll do"

Thirty years later I'm working among the legends I lived for when I was young

Got a job, my dreams, a partner I love and a life that fits like a Lagerfeld glove

Seen, finally seen, now I'm part of that magazine

Dressing up icons the way I know how

No hiding in closets, I create them now

Seen, finally seen, crowned as prince by the fashion queen

Runway lets me express to the world the way I want to be seen

So sure there's an ugly side to this business

Can be cutthroat, often extreme

But it's worth all the stress, it's worth every cost

If a copy of Runway finds a boy who feels lost

And he feels seen, suddenly seen

If he could learn from this magazine

That being a queer kid's not some kind of crime

In fact, it's pretty fucking sublime

Seen, suddenly seen

Can you imagine what that could mean?

Fashion opens your eyes to the world

I want him to see what I've seen

I want you to see what I've seen