How Prim ‘N Bobbin’ Offers Beauty and Function in Conservative America

It’s summer 2019.Donald Trump is the President. The Black Lives Matter movement, a movement protesting murder and violence against black people in America, is active but has fallen silent. We are still seeing the fallout from the #MeToo movement, a public movement against sexual assault. Equal representation in the media is a hot topic.

I am a beauty photographer with a busy lifeNew York City. I’m about to meet Brenna Drury, the makeup artist who DMed me on Instagram. Immediately, we hit it off. We are both interested in current issues in society and politics and have a lively conversation about our contributions to culture.The Through our work as beauty professionals.

While I’m generally frustrated with my career and not being able to push the diversity needle as much as I’d like, I feel empowered to act and collaborate in an inclusive and expansive way in my personal projects. Brenna and I are in alignment. She tells me her ideas with mood boards and I go for a retro beauty look. I do a quick brain scan and come up with an idea for a shoot: recreating vintage beauty ads that never worked.

This conversation about the history of individuality in beauty advertising sparked the idea for our collaborative projectPrim ‘N Bobbin’A series we revisit featuring vintage beauty ads from the 1970s.

If there was equal representation in beauty advertising 50 years ago, what would society look like today?

Julia Komita + Brenna Drury

By September 2019, we’ve gathered an extensive collection of vintage beauty ads from brands like Revlon, Avon and Maybelline as our inspiration. We are proud to have a core female cast in addition to models representing a variety of sexual and gender identities, sizes, and racial/ethnic backgrounds. Our models candidly share with us the impact beauty ads had on their formative years. Growing up in different places and with different cultural influences, everyone has their own version of what beauty is.

Listening to their stories, Brenna and I understand the intensity of projects like ours as a means of action. We’re inspired to see what other conversations are sparked through engagement Prim ‘n Bobbin’.

Then, 2020 happens.

We have a global pandemic. Racial, gender, and LGBTQ+ inequality rockets in the public eye, and the American people chooseJoe Biden As president, he abruptly cut short Trump’s second term. Prim n bobin I feel small in the background of such significant events. However, as we launch in early 2021, we have the full support of the media to amplify the message of authentic content. The positive feedback the project is receiving seems to confirm that equal representation for the queer, trans, Asian, Black + Brown, and body-positive communities is as important as anything we’re collectively experiencing as a nation during this tumultuous time. The slow-moving wheels of progress are moving, bringing us closer to the loving and inclusive society we want to be a part of.

Fast forward a few years and instead of gaining strength,DEI is dying. The representation we once saw on runways and magazine covers will quietly fade away. No fanfare, no public outcry. Trans models struggle to get booked. Disabled models are struggling to get bookings. Curvy models are no longer on the catwalk. We’ve heard from the models see Not anymore TrendingThat means their identities are no longer profitable.

Julia Komita + Brenna Drury

At the same time, we are looking at our countryLean into conservatismRolling back protections for trans communities, queer communities, and women. Again, it may seem trivial to make art an act of revolution. But it isn’t. This is serious. Change starts not only at the big government level, but also at the individual level. Conversations between two people and change begins at the community level, where many individuals support each other and implement new ideas.

So again, Brenna, myself and our incredible team set out to expand Prim ‘N Bobbin’ To put a bigger spotlight on the public conversation about equality and visibility. This time, the question for our project is different: What happens to society when diversity and representation in beauty is taken for granted?

withAnother Trump term approachesBrenna and I feel it is more urgent than ever to engage with the industry and creatives to discuss inclusion and equality. Advertising, as a whole, often reflects culture Forms Culture. As a profession at the corporate and individual levels, we overlook the enormous bureaucracy required to effect change in big government. This means we can quickly and widely make statements through our work that fly in the face of what the government wants people to believe is accurate. We can literally define a standard of beauty, and therefore, have the power to eliminate societies that are often reduced to the way they present themselves. We can ensure that employees of all abilities and backgrounds are paid fairly for their work, regardless of gender, race, age or ability.

We can create our own reality, the truth we want to see in the world on and off camera, and hopefully, one day, that will spill over into law.

Prim ‘N Bobbin’ Continuing our playful way of engaging in serious matters. Art can be used as a powerful tool for activism, creating a space for challenging conversations and illuminations, and we believe in projects like this. First of all Can encourage continuous change.

Julia Komita Photographer, director and writer living in New York City. In her 10+ year career, Julia has used the creative skills of herself and other talented people in the photo/video industry to create and promote many social awareness campaigns in an effort to educate the public, elevate the voices of historically marginalized communities, and spark uncomfortable conversations. and promote empathy. She holds a master’s degree from the Broad Institute in media studies and is currently working on her first feature-length documentary.