Now for your photoshoot this week....

Photoshoot #7

"The Society"

Well of course, what would be a pop culture without a mass following, or a society? It's time to put out here another "open" theme and this time I expect all of you to level up and make up on your last week's performance.

For this week's photoshoot, we are talking about society, people themselves. Your task today is about not letting people decide for you, not doing what society expects you to do or to be. Present us a photo that speaks loud of something you are proud not to be in accordance with the majority (or what has been accustomed) - may it be in fashion, in cultures & traditions, in media, etc.

Since you know Cong has an advantage of getting one person from the group to change their photo, all but Cong (well I am assuming she won't be picking herself) needs to have a back up photo which will only be MAILED TO ME which also should be submitted within the given time limit.

That said explanation are highly necessary on your shot; and your back up shots. Again post your first photo here and back up photo sent through my mail within 24 hours. Thank you and good luck! x

Also for your house updates:

https://tengaged.com/group/5820-next-top-model-18-pop-culture/forum/topic/25231821/14

Hi guys, just wanted everyone to know that you can reuse the backup photo you submitted for future challenges & photoshoots if you are not the one selected to change your photo.

Shanina Shaik

Growing up in Australia, I came from an extremely rural place, the countryside was my home and I love the ruralistic setting of my hometown. Knowing that the urbanisation of the world continues to grow is something that culturally and traditionally I oppose in many facets of my life, I understand that the bigger cities have more opportunities for people, however I will always miss being able to return home to the country whenever possible, which in the way that deforestation, the minimising of green space and the continued movement towards bigger cities makes it extremely difficult for me to see a future for the rural areas of the world.

I'm showcasing my love for the countryside in this photo, whilst still establishing the glamorous and modelesque nature that I have. I will always hold my humble beginnings close to my heart and fight against the conglomeration of the world on a global scale.

https://www.hellomagazine.com/imagenes/fashion-news/201608315497/shanina-shaik-hello-fashion-monthly/0-40-797/a-shanina-1a-a.jpg

The route I decided to take with this is something that's very close to home to me, and that is de-stigmatizing society's view on people suffering from substance abuse. I previously worked at a non profit organization that assisted homeless people recovering from substance abuse disorder and it really opened my eyes to just how "invisible" they are in society.

They are often completely written off as people who have pretty much "chose" a lifestyle that has caused them a great bit of pain, but it is not that simple or easy to write off. People who go down that road need help, they need visibility, and they need to be treated as real human beings because they ARE. They are someone's mother, brother, sibling, friend, etc. and I am a huge advocate for pushing to make sure their stories are told and they receive the help they need without feeling ashamed.

So for my picture I did want to submit something a bit more "in your face" and jarring because it provides visibility and is a striking image that hopefully makes people think in conjunction with my explanation.


https://i.imgur.com/PsdfwLh.png

In this picture Tanya looks strung out and broken down. Her dark makeup with her dress that is made if straps that constrict her just like addiction constricts its victim. That combined with the multiple bright colors, there is a lot going on, however your eyes still go straight to Tanya's face, she's staring us dead in the eyes, just like society needs to look at substance abuse disorder right in the eyes to combat this epidemic.

He Cong - https://i.ibb.co/XZthgtb/Unknown.png

One thing that still sticks with me is the idea of a ballerina ... when you think of one, how do you imagine that he or she looks like at first? Well I can 100% tell you is that they are in nice pink or black tights, clean and prepped beautifully for their performance. Ballerinas are expected to be prim and proper that we've never been exposed to the ones that sadly cannot afford that lifestyle. I wanted to bring upon a new image of a ballerina as they all cannot be always be well-kept and people always frown upon the ones that seem less than glamorous. In my shot, I bring the opposite of what a ballerina is expected to be because there can be others. I'm a struggling ballerina trying to make in a world even though I don't look like one you would normally expect. But that doesn't mean I'm any less than.

Yibo | Feminine Male |

In China, February of this year, a notice from China's education ministry has caused a stir after it suggested young Chinese men had become too "feminine". The message has been criticised as sexist by many part of population - but some say China's male celebrities are partly to blame.

For a while China's government has signalled concern that the country's most popular male role models are no longer strong, athletic figures like "army heroes".

Feminine male models were banned from TV shows and public televisive events.

Plus, in China, being anithing else than Straight is kinda of a crime.

So, for my choice this week i'm going AGAINST this Chinese order and going for non-binary approach.

Reece King - Gender Identity

As of May 2021, the United Kingdom, my home country, refuses to legally recognize non-binary as a gender identity. My rights as a queer person aren't protected by law because the government thinks it would be "too complex" to introduce. Since 2015, there has been a steady decline in support from the UK, falling from 1st to 10th place in IGLA Europe Rainbow Index, which analyzes LGBTQ+ rights in European countries.

I don't view gender as a box and want to make people question heteronormativity and masculinity. Non-binary happens to be the best label to capture self expression, but even that doesn't 100% capture who I am. "I’ve totally disassociated from all those preconceived ideas of masculinity and femininity" and aim to challenge myself to step outside the stereotypical masculine role. (Dazed Beauty Interview)

For this photoshoot, I'm testing the boundaries of gender expression. While my tattoos often casted me into the standard tough guy role, I'm using them to contrast my feminine outfit, hair, and makeup. I'm neither 100% masculine nor feminine, I'm me.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E6bjYa1WQAktU8a.jpg

Sasha Pivovarova - Women & Their Bodies

Over centuries, men have always felt that they are allowed to control women's bodies. It started off with them telling women what to wear, eventually becoming the norm where women were expected to be the poster people for modesty and virginal innocence. Even today, a woman being confident in her body and showing her skin is considered a "whore" or a "slut". Well, my submission today is saying fuck that. I'm proud of my body and I'll show it off to who ever I goddamn please!

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pGTlBw_z2AM/TROaOYjyQoI/AAAAAAAABq4/PS3aKSeHkDE/s1600/Sasha+Pivovarova+nude+Glamour+Russia+01.jpg

Posts below are considered late submissions.

Luka Sabbat ||Grow Up||

I think an issue that plagues society today is one that affects the youth of America. I’m sure every person as a kid has heard the saying. ‘Grow up’ or ‘Act your age’. However, these two phrases can have psychological affects on kids, who end up taking those two or three words to heart and evidently wasting their childhood. They don’t get to experience life as a child anymore because they are now ‘grown up’ and acting beyond their age.

The act your age saying applies a lot to young adults and teens who are just trying to have fun and still have that amazing childlike wonder that so many of us lose so early on. And they get shamed for the way they act when they are just having fun watching kids shows or playing in the rain.

And then when kids who do start to ‘grow up’ they get told they are ‘too much of an adult’ or that they are ‘growing up too fast’. It’s a real damned if you do damned if you don’t.

And while no, this issue is not as mainstream as gender stereotypes or hatred of immigrants. It’s still an issue and the fact it’s not mainstream is whit I’m bringing it up, because it’s not talked about enough - when it really does affect childrens entire lives.

In this photo I am modeling with oversized clothes. This is showing two sides to the issue.

You have the child, who might be just having fun playing dress up with their dad or moms clothes, pretending they are being them and get told to stop playing around and to act their age.

You also have another side, which is shown moreso with the sourness of my face, where I look absolutely miserable. I’m modeling using clothes too big for me to showcase a kid whose been told to act their age and grow up. The ‘pants’ they are told to fulfill are too big for them because they aren’t ready for that stage in their life yet. Nor do they want to be ready (hence the expression I carry on my face)

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56c346b607eaa09d9189a870/1489620135998-HTWKA7RGXHAXY04NHV6F/A5C9941-682x1024.jpg?format=2500w

Cong decided to use her power and make Malaika change her shot.

Here's Malaika's back-up shot

==Malaika Firth - Views on Society==

A lot of views on society talk about Cultural Appropriation versus Cultural Appreciate and sadly Appropriation reigns supreme as people do things for selfish things and companies sell their brands even if they don't get the appropriate cultures involved with the process.

Even though some people focus so much on just using someone's culture as fashion, I personally like to retain my culture and keep it relevant since I was originally born in Kenya. Though I do love when I'm able to blend my cultures with other cultures and bring something together to appreciate multiple cultures at once. I want to use this time to present an appreciate instead of a appropriation.

I decided to give attention to a Mexican tradition called Dios De La Muertos aka Day Of The Dead, and use this as an opportunity to give light to it and celebrate it for what it is instead of just using it for a trend.

https://i0.wp.com/graveravens.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/malaika-firth-by-giampaolo-sgura-for-vogue-japan-may-2015-6.jpg

XXCLOSEDXX