"Juxtaposition, man. Juxtafukinposition"

Subheading alternative being the first line from Tyler the Creator's Yonkers.
Also a recent topic of discussion among me and friends. The layers. The multi-facets. The ability to hold multiple identities or parts of an identity in order to create the true self. Most importantly having those identities clash in the face of society but in the most beautiful way. Our definition of things in the world, of beauty, of right and wrong, of feminism have long been limited to the confines of single lane discussion, growing then to 'intersectional' discussion, which allowed us to stick two, three, four name tags on our subjects of study. "Oh she's black and a woman- I can deal with that".
But what about the paradoxes?
The real intersections of identity that clash head on at high speeds from opposite directions. The contrasting facets of identity that are making Piers Morgan and Bell Hooks 'Mr Krabs' (vb) all over the place. That's what I wanna talk about. That's what I love.

Moving inwards from the outside, we've got your celebrity battle on feminism with the idea of capitalism, sexual freedom and being conscious of one's sexuality, being painted to be incompatible with feminism. Actually incompatible is not even the word, 'unfeminist' is kinda more apt. Beyonce is bashed for using feminism for capital gain. Kim K. Cardi B and Amber Rose are denied access to the feminist club as a result of 'hyper-hoeism'. The definition of black women and how they carry out their feminism is daily questioned for countless insipid reasons, and in our quest to discover "true" definitions of self, we forget how complex and essentially undefinable those truths are.

The coolest thing about me and my friends and being a black woman in this world (that still depicts us very singularly), is the fact that we are so different. That even individuals within that group hold so many differences in self, that are sometimes uncomfortable to grasp, but always important to acknowledge. I love how each of us have claimed the black woman identity and interpreted it to our contexts, giving the universe a beautiful smorgasbord of badbitch, alternative, motherly, childish, creative, mathsy, radical, liberal, whyling, chilled, asdfghjkl to deal with.


Being a kid versus an adult at this stage of my life reels the argument in a little closer to home. I'm still in denial about the adult bit, but yeah I guess we're faced with a paradox of existence that compels us to do 'adulty' type things that are both cool and soul-crushing (ie. laundry), as well as confront the idea that we are still financially attached to the rents and emotionally attached to kid stuff like sugary cereal and Ed, Edd 'n Eddy.

How I dress finally. DUH
One giant hot mess of proportions, mismatched colours, swaying moods and characters of the day.  It still kinda works though, which is my favourite thing.

Hopefully all encapsulated by the images in my debut role as editorial photographer (with new camera!), albeit the subject of photography also being myself. Self portrait type images are juxtaposed against bright vegetation, to create my favourite kinda beauty- the one where things theoretically shouldn't work, but practically actually do. The beauty of paradox.

Florals. For Autumn.
Take that Miranda


Outfit Details
Knit Sweater and Hat:vintage
Skirt:Tally Weijl

Credits:
Photography
art direction
styling
Ya Gurl Dafifz