LOVE. FREEDOM
With HEY GIRL WORLD we want to create a safe space for everybody to express their creativity and help us find creatives for the magazine. Also to change fashion and photography for the better - more empowering, more freedom and more equality!
To help us do this.... We have a few guidelines for HEY GIRL WORLD member’s shoots:
NO SKIN OR BODY RETOUCHING
Real life has this amazing power and confidence:
Yeah, I got a spot.
Yeah, I got bags.
Cause I am working lots and making amazing work.
Yeah, I got stretch marks cause I had an amazing baby or that's just the way my body is.
Yeah, I got scars. This happened to me... And??? So what!!!
We are made to feel bad about our bodies by the media, by adverts with retouched images that do not depict real life. These images have been made unreal—we know because we’ve done it in the past (sorry, issue 1 does have some retouching in it). We changed this and smoothed that, then we thought—YOU KNOW WHAT, what’s so wrong with all these things we are editing out?
The reader doesn't see the real photo, so they think the model/subject is perfect, which then leads them to feel... I don’t look like that, and which can lead them to feel unhappy with their body/face.
We believe we have a responsibility to the younger generation (and everyone) to free them from self-judgment, which we are non-stop bombarded with in modern life.
So we said no more. Let's love the power of a real image, real skin, real bodies, real cool.
We want to set people free. Being yourself and being confident is the most powerful trait for any image. So don’t conform; BE DIFFERENT. How boring life would be if we were all the same.
In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.
BE DIVERSE WITH YOUR MODELS/SUBJECTS
There are so many inspiring people out there - of all different shapes, ages, sizes, races and abilities. We want to promote a variety of body shapes, to break the archaic idea that all models/subjects must look a certain way, curves are cool, Disability is cool, age is cool .. ‘We are all cool’ … no one type of person is is better than another.
MODELS/SUBJECTS CHOOSE THEIR OWN PHOTOS
Because HEY GIRL was set up by a male photographer, Simon Clemenger, one of the biggest issues he considered was:
"How can I avoid being manipulative and ensure the person featured feels empowered by the shoot?"
His solution was: Why not let the model/subject choose the final images for their magazine photoshoot?
In this way, they have complete control over how they are represented and how their body looks. All models and subjects in HEY GIRL now choose their own photos. Encourage your amazing models and subjects to select their final photos for HEY GIRL WORLD. Initially, as a photographer/artist, this might feel unconventional, but it is incredibly freeing, liberating, and empowering for everyone involved. You can be confident that your images represent a person who loves the images and is in total control of how they are portrayed and presented. Autonomy is paramount to us.
WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT? WHY DO YOU CREATE?
What makes you want to create? What is your style? How do you want people to feel about your work? Once you've signed up for our Patreon page, email us at info@simonc292.sg-host.com with your images (maximum 8, at 1920px on the longest side), along with your bio, ideas, and what inspires your creativity. Don't forget to include a self-portrait. Next, assess your skills meter: out of 100%, what are your different skills? Once you've completed this, we will email you when your profile is live for the world to see.
So ‘HEY GIRL WORLD’ go create, have fun and we can’t wait to see your work
and show our network your work :)
HEY GIRL xxx