So I wanted to celebrate what makes Hong Kong unique and to concentrate on the positive. There were advantages and disadvantages to this, but overall, I discovered a new respect and love for a place I once took for granted. There was familiarity in the culture and an understanding of how the city works. Despite feeling like I was an outsider coming in, there was also still a sense that this was my home.
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Did you feel any sense of being an outsider when you returned to do this project?Īlexandra Leese: I was definitely aware while shooting this project that I no longer felt like a local, and that my time away had given me a new perspective on Hong Kong. “There is also a tendency to stereotype Chinese boys as 'all looking the same.’ I aim to show diversity within Asian masculinity and celebrate their beauty.” With Boys of Hong Kong, Leese not only reaffirms that these notions are fundamentally untrue but also illustrates just how diverse and unique these young men are.Īlongside the premiere of a film directed by Luke Casey that coincides with Leese’s just-released zine, we catch up with the photographer to talk about making Boys of Hong Kong and hanging out with the cool kids of her hometown.Īlthough you’ve spent most of your life in London, you still feel that Hong Kong is your home. “In western society, Asian men tend to be regarded as ‘less attractive’,” she says. In her new zine and film, titled Boys of Hong Kong, Leese not only depicts this new wave of less rigid gender identity among Hong Kong’s male youth culture, but also illustrates the diversities that exist amongst them by dismantling some of the misconceptions she’s encountered. “I was at a point in my life where I felt disconnected from my culture and my hometown and I had a strong desire to reconnect and rediscover what I felt I had neglected.” “This began as something very personal to me,” she says. Though she left when she was 11, the London-based fashion and portrait photographer recently felt compelled to return with her camera.
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So be kind to yourself (and your wardrobe), and enjoy these 17 swoon-worthy looks in no particular order.Photographer Alexandra Leese has never forgotten Hong Kong the city of her childhood and the locus of cherished memories. Remember, these queer celebrities were blessed with good taste, but they also have access to stylists and high-end designers, too. Just don’t blame us if suddenly everything in your closet looks subpar in comparison! Whether it’s Kristen Stewart and her impeccable sense of style (and constantly-changing hairstyles) or Billy Porter’s effortless ability to one-up himself with each and every ensemble, you’re sure to gain some serious inspiration from these stars. Take a few moments to feast your eyes on some of the most incredibly well-dressed members of the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community throughout history. Masculine and feminine? Don’t know them! Fashion and style know no gender or sexual orientation-and the 17 queer style icons below are proof. As the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community becomes more mainstream-in a good way!-and queer celebrities continue to defy gender norms, we no longer have to search high and low for fashion inspiration of all kinds. Let’s take a trip down the rainbow-paved memory lane, shall we?įrom Freddie Mercury and his jaw-dropping stage ensembles to Laverne Cox and her ethereal red carpet looks, there’s certainly no shortage of incredible fashion from queer icons.
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Considering many of their looks are part of history, often worn in updated ways even decades later, it only makes sense to carve out a part of our everyday lives to pay a bit of homage to how far we’ve come. Although celebrations for queer fashion trailblazers are often reserved for Pride, we should celebrate these style icons every single day. The progress we have made in embracing personal style regardless of identity has definitely been thanks to gay and queer fashion icons who have pushed-and continue to push- the boundaries. The decline of societal gender norms when it comes to fashion has been a long time coming-and we’re still not all the way there.