THE FANTASY EDITION
FANTASY
EDITORS LETTER
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hen we talk about going to university, we often liken the experience to living in a bubble. Cloistered from the outside world, our lives revolving around trips to the library and cheap liquor,
feast your eyes on in this edition, as well as our inauceptionally talented photographers free reign to create their own fantasy image.
waits for us after graduation can seem an alien and scary concept, as well as a place full of the potential to achieve our dreams.
sucked in to the phantasmagorical world created by photographer and artist Etienne ClĂŠment, as Emma
every aspect of fantasy, from the fairy-tale world of
Often, fantasy helps us to understand the reality of our lives in a more heightened way, from the use of non-
worlds he conjures up behind the lens. Finally, I talked tions about how he made his dream career happen.
India H
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CONTRIBUTORS Editor
Deputy Editor
India Block
Bethan Sweeting
Head of Production Grace Marsh
Fashion Editors
Arts Editor
Film Editor
Adela Iacobov Ahmed Khae
Emma Pike
Joseph Harrison
Fashion Deputy Nowrin Hossain
Film Writer
Arts Deputy
George Norman
Nadia Husen
Fashion Assistant
Culture Writer
Hard Talk Editor
Robbie Hodges
Victoria Rooke
Rachel Thompson
Head of Illustration
Design
Head of Photography
Artemis Vergou
India Block
Agatha Torrance
Illustrators
Advertising
Photo Editor
Selina Pope Will Sharples
Georgia Mackay
Thom Corbishley
Managing Director
PR + Events
Marketing Director
Caitlin O’Kelly
George Johnston
Georgia Mackay
With Special Thanks to Orillo Productions Hard Magazine is published by: Mixam, Colne Way, Watford, WD24 7ND
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CONTENTS 4
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Toy Stories
Hightailing Reality
Dream Catcher
Not So Super
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14
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Historia
Word Nonsense
Tripping on Reality
Broken Dreams
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28
34
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Monochrome Metamorphosis
Spring Awakening
Submerged
Thom Corbishley
Agatha Torrance Thom Corbishley
Must Have Make Believe
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My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fashion Fantasy
The Death of Luxury
Blog Life
Trans*forming Fashion
Emma Pike
George Norman
Thom Corbishley
Ahmed Khae
Nadia Husen
Victoria Rooke
Robbie Hodges
India Block
Bethan Sweeting
Grace Marsh
Joe Harrison
Agatha Torrance
Adela Iacobov
Rachel Thompson
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TOY STORIES INTERVIEW WITH ETIENNE CLÉMENT
“W
e all live in the world as we imagine it, as we create it.” These revealing words from Etienne Clément disclose entirely what his work evokes: absolute and unrestrained fantasy stories.
Museum, Vivendi Universal, Bouygues Immobilier and the Foreign
of photography has been earning him global interest and acclaim for over a decade. In 1997, he was awarded European Architectural Photographer of the Year. He has exhibited across the UK, ranging from the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art to the Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood, appearing alongside Damien Hirst and Andy Warhol. He is currently a member of the Contemporary Art Society, and in addition to his numerous solo exhibitions, Clé-
the theme of childhood memories. In our conversation, Clément explained to me how he rises to the challenge of producing narratives and the dichotomy between fact
Nationale de France, The Geffrye
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doir: An Exhibition Private View debauchery, lustful powdered wigged men and drunken gallery girls doing business.” His work fre-
Having studied at La Sorbonne established himself as an architectural photographer, his art evolving to create his striking yet surreal, and at times sinister tableaux. His interest in photography was ment reminisces about “the kick I got when nicking photo magazines
from my local newsagent,” which offered him “a window wide open onto the world.” He continues to explain, somewhat mysteriously, that later his attraction to photography was kindled by “hours spent in the darkroom as an alchemist”. Clément describes how painting
notes that “the starting point for some pieces is a painting - the non-verbal thinking par excellence, al, fantasies are added”. Amongst other things, Clément cites trash, pop culture and childhood memories as inspiring his work: “a personal experience, memorable events, a trip, a dream, a fantasy, a memory from childhood can alone also be the starting point.” series. The works incorporate dis-
THIS PAGE: LA VIERGE DE MIS FABRICORDE (2007), ANNUNCIATION (2007). OPPOSITE PAGE: LA INFANTA (2008). ALL FROM ETIENNE CLÉMENT’S ‘WENDY’S WORLD’ SERIES
EMMA PIKE
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HIGHTAILING REALITY T
he moment I rush off the tube and pass through the threshold of the Victoria & Albert -
Nowhere is this more possible than when submerged in Surrealist art; works of DalĂ, Breton
as I wind between the marble picking up a paintbrush; watch In a world where the average individual owns a cluster of elec-
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far away. Social boundaries have become more rigid; life is to be lived in a particular way that is dictated by our fear of social isolation. Branching out by being
self to unlock these worlds within
they retain enough resemblance
most intriguing part; alcohol and drugs in excess goes a long way in -
are far enough from this life to encourage spectators to explore courage them to break free. As
and this 21st century fear has led which is not in conformance with worlds (think Harry Potter and the Hunger Games) in which escape
quick glance at any Surrealist artno absence of imagination. Surrealist works are undeniably beinduce frightening thoughts never considered before. It is exactly this aspect that fabricates the fantasy world that we force our way into.
well known work. Melting pocket watches pool in a barren wasteland – hardly the most comfort-
mechanical. We can make the drugs to create meaningful works still exists and it is precisely these socially enforced rules of compliance that were to be destroyed in result through and through. Narcotics meant that any problems of reality were irrelevant; the fo-
real that which actually exists.� one can access the unreality that matter how long or hard limits and
could come out of the end of the pencil without conscious thought.
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in which Surrealist artists of the
essary to make good decisions and impulses should be followed
fold and pass it to the next player without looking at what was previously drawn. The result would be one drawing made from collective
namely the relationship of time to our lives. The viewer is subin which reality is to some extent forgotten. The markers of time in the painting are features of our created a fantasy world within our reality - not separate from it. The perspective is changing. The ways in which we view our problems and reality is altered the longer we spend immersed in the painting. An avant-garde art movement alism evolved through the processes of Psychic Automatism. The subconscious was what mattered to the very basics of who they and Duchamp created art that was more truth than anything else they could have produced. How exactly they accessed their unconscious
process would draw on things from the arguably mundane realcreated
otherworldly
inventions
perspective of their lives could be completely altered. Breton claims manacles that logic has imposed
THIS PAGE: LA TRAHISON DES IMAGES (1928) RENE MAGRITTE. OPPOSITE PAGE: THE PERSISTANCE OF MEMORY (1931) SALVADOR DALI.
prevent escape from rules and though the key is clasped tightly in the very same bound hands. From the founders of Surrealist art to modern Surrealists such as ment realises these borders and distorts them until they no longer -
NADIA HUSEN
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DREAM CATCHER Interview with Keenan Foley
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hat are you going to do once you leave university?
as a runner and slowly work his way up for years before gaining a modicum of creative control. In-
traditional option was to start out
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vides a comfortable launch pad
to eschew chasing the white rabbit
stumble through the answer to at tutors and friends. Even if you ard grade graduate job with its 23K salary can feel like the only correct answer to give after racking up so much debt for a degree. Keenan Foley knows this feeling all to well. Bursting with ambition to go into
ment. It has a built in bar for one.
the leap into the unknown and start -
rocketing all around the country – and often the globe – shooting their projects. Having started out at an incubation hub at York St
with Foley as its Creative Director. Apollo Street studio “has been Relaxing on comfy sofas in the achingly trendy renovated Chapel that Orillo Productions calls and his co-workers ever crav-
Keenan knew from the outset that
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INDIA BLOCK
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ILLUSTRATION: WILL SHARPLES
collectively made over 5½ billion dollars, and is set to make more with the release, later this year, -
genetically mutated maniac rac-
releases proves that DiCaprio was less, bordering on the ludicrous; accompanying the new Avengers
perman, costumed crusaders have however their popularity has ris-
NOT SO SUPER...
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n a recent interview with Simon Mayo on Radio 5live, Leonardo cult it was to get Hollywood to
“studio system has created a cri-
Caprio touches upon the epidemic
be robots and superheroes…”
output throughout the 21st cen-
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to play the main roles; the grad-
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needs to have a certain amount
Masked heroes have occupied our screens with almost alarming
controversial, and easily accessiovershadow the more interesting -
JOESEPH HARRISON
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HIST ORIA ILLUSTRATION: ARTEMIS VERGOU
F
antasy is all around us.
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erature, as seen in the cinematic reimagining of Erebor. Most notably, perhaps, was the recent Harry Potter series; although the books are comparatively historically neutral in the way in which they
argument to come to those conjoy many parts of the genre, with one of those many parts being
fans enjoy seeing references to
ten form. More overtly in the later mous with the 1940s. Of course,
fantasy presents those of us with a small preconception of the past
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borrow something from that era of case, it was very obvious. Cos-
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recently swept across the USA, connecting Americans back to their European routes through its quasi-historical presentation -
the peer reviewing that forms the
tory to the masses, unconsciously. It is important to remain aware of historical subtexts, as it is more useful to think about the past in the fantasy genre even if we are
more out of the story, but also you are less likely to sleepwalk into believing, for instance, that istocracy. Ultimately, the history integral part of the genre. Yes, it
state; its rebellious, semi-autonpeople with events of the past. constantly at some level of war. of power were clear allusions to a ment that seems to have sprung larly echoes such movements as
that other pitfall of history in fantaEuropean state, it has a certain
But why make such an allusion? Clearly there is little historical point
companions that little bit more, because we know, from our coltotalitarianism in the 1940s was not a pleasant force – to put it
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Despite the occasional seriousness, history within the fantasy
kings, the lower, peasant classes are pretty much non-existent. Un-
wilful passing over of what probably is, in the book, the single largest group of people in the whole seem like the most important thing, tic, but it is important. If people are
ing of the past. But a fantasy book
GEORGE NORMAN
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ILLUSTRATION: ARTIMIS VERGOU
WO RD NO NS EN SE
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TRIPPINGON ONREALITY REALITY TRIPPING ON REALITY TRIPPING
“I
f the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is,
closed himself up, till he sees
Hallucinations: a gateway to the corners of our minds, or a state of heightened spiritual awareness? periences that emulate those of ordinary perception, but occur
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in many forms, typically producing ample, I could hallucinate seeing a violet goat, or tasting the sound of a middle C or hearing the scent es may be said to occur in your these things but we see them as lucinations pose many questions they merely fantastical imaginary happenings or some sort of purer form of understanding that we are
normally shut off from? Do they help us understand our psyche, or our place in the universe? Do they emphasise the separation of fantasy and reality? Or, to quote
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Usually brought about by illness, tiredness or drugs, they have a variety of forms, qualities and, po-
creative work suggesting the ben-
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BROKEN DREAMS
STYLISTS: ADELA IACOBOV AND AHMED KHAE STYLISTS ASSISTANTS: NOWRIN HOSSIAN AND ROBBIE HODGES MODELS: VICTOR MAURICIO, AIMEE NAZROO AND PIPPA STACEY MAKE UP: ANJA PEEBLES BROWN HAIR: JORDAN BONNER PHOTOGRAPHY: AGATHA TORRANCE 18
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VICTOR WEARS: VARSITY JACKET, TOPMAN, CAMO JACKET, CARHARTT; VEST, TOPMAN; TROUSERS, BARENA VENEZIA; BOOTS, MODELS OWN AIMEE WEARS: DRESS AND LEATHER JACKET, WAREHOUSE; TOP, WAREHOUSE; LEGGINGS, YUMI PIPPA WEARS: BALLET WEAR, MODELS OWN
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MONOCHROME METAMORPHOSIS
STYLISTS: ADELA IACOBOV + AHMED KHAE STYLISTS ASSISTANTS: NOWRIN HOSSAIN + ROBBIE HODGES MODELS: RORY CARTWRIGHT, LAVINIA ANNABEL ZANITA-CARTER OWUSU AND HANNAH BENNET MAKE UP: CHERRINE CHEN PHOTOGRAPHY: THOM CORBISHLEY WITH THANKS TO ORILLO PRODUCTION
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RORY WEARS: OPPOSITE -JUMPER, GIVENCHY; TROUSERS, H&M THIS PAGE - JUMPER, NOM DE GUERRE 23
LAVINIA WEARS : OPPOSITE - DRESS, BOUTIQUE; GLOVES AND HAIR BOW, STYLISTS OWN THIS PAGE - DRESS AND NECKLACE (WORN AS HEADPIECE), STYLISTS OWN
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HANNAH WEARS: OPPOSITE PAGE: DRESS, ASOS; GLOVES AND MASK, STYLISTS OWN THIS PAGE: FAUX FUR COAT, MANGO
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Sp
ring
k a e n w i ng A
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Ha
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Sty li
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This page - Hannah wears: Skirt and Jumper, both Topshop. Lucinda wears:Skirt and Tops, all Topshop Overleaf - Hannah wears:Jumper and Jeans, Topshop; Shirt, Vintage.Lucinda wears: Cardigan, Topshop; Shirt, Vintage; Skirt, Stylists own. Shoes, Model’s own 30
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SUBMERGED I Agatha Torrance
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SUBMERGED II Thom Corbishley 35
PHOTOGRAPHY: INDIA BLOCK
MUST HAVE
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MAKE BELIEVE 36
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MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FASHION FANTASY 38
fecta (Dolce & Gabbana, Versace and Armani) began appearing The singer has also displayed his willingness to defy gender norms
a regular basis, and Kanye West developed an obsession with seemed an absurd fantasy becomIn fact, it was Kanye who would go on to instigate one of the greatest paradigm shifts for fashion in hip-hop, particularly the rise of
By executing such concepts with
who have also begun to toy with trends that reverberated throughout hip-hop and helped to trigger the shift in fashion that occurred an outsider in hip-hop, sporting an ivy-league inspired wardrobe and displaying middle class sen-
rise of cloud rap, an ethereal, drug-hazed form of the culture (most notably demonstrated by bringing fantastical reality to its consumers via the dress that its
True, this is a fantasy for which the reality is not available to the of Kanye, a weird world illustrat-
with expensive brands such as Balmain, Balenciaga and the
KAWs, with his perfectly tailored
T
he rise of fantasy and fantastical elements in hip-hop style over the
interesting development in a culture that, not even a decade ago, was championing the cool of overly baggy denim
three months previously Kanye
had blurred the lines between art, -
the elegantly blurred nature of the genre lends itself well to some of the outlandish pieces that these individuals wear, adding immeasuratrated mainstream hip-hop, with
proliferation of these fantastical elAs hip-hop acquired increasingly capitalistic ideals towards the end of the 1990s and beginning of the 2000s, the styles of many
This idea of an otherworldliness and detachment from reality is vividly reimagined in his current -
Perhaps, in our recession fuelled time, such fantasy in dress may be necessary in order to allow us an experience of the world of es-
AHMED KHAE
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THE DEATH OF LUXURY
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s you saunter through the hotel lobby, the clack of your shoes keeping rhythmic pace whilst you dart over trains of crepe and slide past countless satin lapels, you call, in your hot-honeyed voice, to the bartender “shaken not stirred” – he ly dressed arm poised on the chic his hand, Jeeves passes you the Apple Tango and vodka you ordered. In turning to collect it you trip on your frayed shoelace and catch your jacket on the corner of the bar thus unravelling reams of second-rate stitches. Cursing, you to the symphony of ripping garments as your thighs are instantaneously liberated from the in-seayou shelled out for yesterday. A change is afoot in the fashion industry, one that is placing the fan-
severe danger. It was not long ago the form of individually made and timelessly crafted clothing bought from the local tailor with whom your relationship would mirror that available to all, but in the form of emblazoned sweatshirts or logo tees offered by brands. Brands founded on values of innovation and individualism, brands established by designers desirous to spiritually elevate their clients to that transcendental fantasy realm. For a generation strapped for cash and unconsciously craving social validation behind a smokescreen tionate amounts on the smallest
is standard. To buy a well-made, artisanal jacket at a respectively fair price is not. Most of us are so accustomed to the negotiations and disappointments that we are numb to the affections af-
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“Bleep”; an online invitation to a formal event. Swamped by impending doom, the brisk click of by a cyber-sprint through the high street. With no physical or emotional connection to the clothes, lustfully you squeal as an indistinguishable heap of clothing, iden-
knocks on your door. Martyred
impaled and thrust aside in quest of that one item on which you are willing to compromise. The print may be ugly but hey, your bum looks great. Suppress your hunger for that unforgettable and unaffordable piece that seems to follow you around town, this is way on-trend and so dirt-cheap
report but is no doubt relevant to many. Whilst we mindlessly fall
PHOTOGRAPHY: THOM CORBISHLEY
victim to empty high-street promises and deprive ourselves of the euphoric fantasy that luxury has to offer, we turn a blind eye to the crumbling plinth of craftsmanship and aspiration on which the fashion industry is founded. Although an enduringly stylish garment that transcends time through its meticulous craftsmanship, such as a Kenzo suit, would be a wise
fashion world. The shift from the idolisation of eternally beautiful
For the past decade the question “how has society changed in light of social media?” has been bandied around, but only now can we see how it has transformed the
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lections as exemplars of equally found in fashion? Whilst the fu-
all jumpers is telling of a society and an attitude of disposability. Should we be worried when mod-
As a last-ditch attempt to attract an uninterested and impulsively minded young clientele, yes, we should worry. Is it wrong to
the high-glamour of past fashion with rose-tinted glasses, fantasy is alive albeit on its last legs. It may come in the form of commodity fetishism with a vulgar “more, more, more” attitude and not in the form of a luxurious hand-sewn travel
and through association, fantasy.
mass-manufactured fast-fashion alongside artisanal designer col-
ROBBIE HODGES
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BLOG LIFE ILLUSTRATION: ARTEMIS VERGOU
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n our student world of budget clothing, sale shopping and DIY customisation, we all need a bit of escapism. For many, fashion blogs provide the perfect antidote: we can be transported into a world free from real-life concerns, a fantasy realm of material possessions and beautiful people, where money is no object and designer clothing comes free. We also want to be able to relate ourselves to this world, and imagine ourselves as a part of it. But searching for reality in the fantasy world of fashion is not the healthiest undertaking. Fashion blogs model themselves as platforms that allow readers bloggers. Take the example of personal fashion blogs, which usually -
ty or work. However, this attempt many fashion bloggers, nothing more than a faรงade; a collection lives that present them in the best possible light in order to generate blogging success. Readers spent preparing for a shoot or how long it took to achieve a particular hairstyle, they see only the
tion that bloggers undertake that is an unrealistic element, but also the amount of money spent on products, or rather, in some cases, products that are given to them for free in return for a positive review. Taking for example, a popular blog
is a photo-shoot of her, wearing Valentino shoes and sporting accessories from Hermes, Cartier, Karen Walker and Chanel, with a minimum total cost of at least fantasy world that it is possible for the average reader to simply dream of or draw inspiration from. ers, there is an air of romanticism associated with the admiration of blogs. The appeal of blogging is the portrayal of an ideal that we can dream of achieving in our own ordinary lives, an ideal that in reality, is impossible to achieve. about viewing images of things
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that we will never own and knowing information about people we will never meet, that is simi-
and women are what readers
of glossy magazines; we want in order to send their page views from a blogger who has just wok-
what we want to be a part of,
blurred and we must be aware of beautiful, well-dressed men and we see, then we move on to the
Perhaps, then, the world of fashion blogging is better viewed as ing the ability to bring us one step world; readers want to believe
inspiration from the more glamorous, polished fashion blogs, themselves with them or fully em-
fragment of a fantasy world that does not run parallel with their -
our rather ordinary lives with
ourselves when we see beau-
the reasons that fashion blogs
GRACE MARSH
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TRANS*FORMING FASHION ILLUSTRATION: SELINA POPE
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be restricted by gennine beauty is being
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to understand and use the correct terminology. To be cisgender is to identify as the gender assigned to you by your sex at birth. Whereas er the identities of transgender or transsexual men and women, the addition of the asterix expands the gender identities in the spectrum.
time to discuss this topic. Back in 2009, the athlete Caster Semenya was forced to undergo gender testing by the IAAF because appearance that is considered masculine. This prompted the renowned feminist Germaine Greer to publish an article in the Guardian highlighting the impossibility of truly delineating between the biological and the psychological when sex and gender identities come under scrutiny. But the me-
ular basis and which issues are really important to the trans com-
the fact that she was on the couch The fashion industry so often lato produce and star in her own stereotyping. So when magazines appear in the pages of Vogue Italia. We learnt from these women that the preoccupation with genidistracts us from the real issues. their substance as well as looks, and are pioneering the change as they succeed in an industry
ostensibly writing about her cato separate his subjects gender -
media. During an American daytime TV talk show hosted by Katie Couric, Carrera was introduced to the audience as being born a man, this being the reason she
a trans* model without making the gender identity of him of her the step. The success of models like Carrera and Lea T (who has modeditorials for mainstream magazines such as Vogue, both before
is displaying signs of learning and Carmen stepped into the lime light last year as a contestant her rapid success has seen her signed with Elite and walking for with all this hard work, the me-
to educate itself. Mere weeks ago, a woman killed herself as a result of journalist Caleb Hannan
lar form. “Trans people are beauty, and it should be recognised
asking her about her sex change surgery. She recently said that it and ask you about your geniple to fuck off when needs be. The fashion industry occupies a position when it comes to understanding identity, and by push-
ily gendered lines drawn around tiful are morphing and bending. The whole construct of gender is basically one giant fantasy. And fashion is an industry built on fantasy, particularly the fantasy of beauty. So perhaps it is only a home in fashion. It may not be a perfect industry, but when it anced inclusion and portrayal of better than other mainstream media channels. Gender does not exist in terms of beauty, and
comes to gender and championtransform attitudes towards trans. to inform society as a whole. Carentertainment industry and be de-
She responded by telling Katie
merely be typecast by her status
her genitals. The outcome was a -
a model to speak out, she is at-
you about your genitals on a reg-
label-judging people, compelling them to accept the beauty in front of them, regardless of its particu-
RACHEL THOMPSON
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Work HARD, Play HARD. HARD is a tri-annual glossy magazine with a constant digital presence that explores the worlds perspective. Our dedicated young team is a creative collective of student writers, photographers, artists and design enthusiasts with a shared passion for quality media. We work HARD to bring our readership inspired and unique content with a playful edge.