Issue Three
MARY BENSON LORDE INC VIV ALBERTINE DREAM WIFE + MORE
American Reflexxxion
All images by Signe Pierce Illustration by Hatti Rex
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Polyester interviews reality artist Signe culturally and socially progressive Pierce, star and victim of the now documentaries such as Paris is Burning. landmark film American Reflexxx. With 1.5 “This video has always been extremely million hits on YouTube, the film, directed personal and important to Alli and I by Alli Coates, documents Signe in a tight since the night it was filmed. My love blue dress, stripper heels and a reflective for American Reflexxx keeps growing, mask, moving down a busy street in South especially since having released it online Carolina’s Myrtle Beach. The following and realising how the themes of the film 14 minutes shows Signe verbally and impact viewers,” Signe says. “So many physically assaulted, branded a “shim” and people have reached out thanking us for called an “it.” Her identity as a woman was making work about the kind of treatment questioned, her body shape mocked, and that they face every day.” The duo have misogyny and transphobia proved itself already created a breakthrough piece of to be deeply embedded in the American work that’s actually made a difference psyche. Since then, American Reflexxx has in peoples lives and altered people’s featured on websites and news outlets perceptions. “Personally I think that across the world, and has even been used creating progressive dialogues is one of by teachers in schools across America to the most exciting things that art can do, teach young people about LGBTQ rights, it means everything to be a part of these mob mentality and bullying. We talk to conversations surrounding tolerance.” Signe about what it means to be part of Months on, the "I think that a byproduct the conversation, mirrored mask about violence Signe wore that of a patriarchal society and acceptance in night becomes is that women are American culture. more and more significant. Initially conditioned to hate The introductory credits reflecting the bounce along to the madness and hate themselves and to view beat of “Blurred Lines” in the crowd, it other females as a by Robin Dick [sic] and now forces every Pharrell; an apt choice person watching on threat. It's a part of of song considering the to reflect on their own the power structure." rapey, misogynistic tone, morals and social and the title; “Blurred Lines”, responsibilities. Signe that seems to suggest that the notion of adds another layer to consent is a grey area; a concept sadly familiar the mask’s new relevance, “The film seems to most girls. The jagged beat joins Signe who to provoke a visceral reaction in most people, is pressed up against a tree, swaying her hips but the difference between watching it provocatively, her masked face tilted back, an online to watching it in a gallery is that people invitation as much as an act of confidence. “At on the Internet have a means for leaving most we anticipated some heckling and cattheir feedback.” She says, “In a way, the calling” says Signe. “While it was happening I felt mask serves as a bit of a metaphor for the kind of protected by the mask. They couldn’t exchange that occurs between someone who see me and therefore they couldn’t shame me.” posts something online and the commenters. But the come-ons quickly turned into something When you can’t see someone’s face or eyes, much more sinister. The sickening flow of the it’s a lot easier to pretend that they’re not real.” video documents jibes progressing from, “Will you do me in that later?” – “I’d love to make love Although the positivity in the aftermath of the to you with that on” to “EEWWW” - “That’s man video has been so important, your heart still right? Look at them feet!” Quickly Signe loses breaks for the treatment Signe received that personal pronouns, her existence reduced day. It’s interesting that the majority of the from human being to a genderless creature verbal and physical assaults came from fellow that sparks fear and violence in her onlookers women. Her body was scrutinised and picked resulting in terrifying physical violence towards at. But more than that, her confidence was her. intimidating, her nakedness an insult. “I think that a byproduct of a patriarchal society is that The aftermath of the film has been sensational. women are conditioned to hate themselves and Although completed two years prior, American to view other females as a threat. It’s a part of Reflexxx circulated art shows and exhibitions before finally being published on the Web. And now, its impact is being likened to other
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Photography by Maisie Cousins Makeup by Robyn Fitzsimmons Lipstick provided by Nizz Cosmetics
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But one official fashion season in to her career, does Benson feel any more at ease and at home in London than she did at the beginning of her university experience? “To be honest I feel like there’s a really tight fashion crowd that are very close and very in their own bubble. I’m quite alone in that sense. I feel a bit more of an arty weirdo. Hardly any of my friends are fashion people.” However, that’s not to say Benson has struggled to find her own community within the capital. Naming recent collaborator Terry de Haviland and his wife Liz her “London mum and dad,” Mary has managed to build herself a close knit support network of artists and creatives, one of the most prominent to her personally being Princess Julia. “She’s just so supportive no matter what. Princess Julia is one of the key people for me who have pushed me to do what I want.” Finding an honest voice with no agenda in this industry is rare, and Mary applauds Julia’s ability to tell it how it is, “She’s quite straightforward in the advice she gives, but I think that’s so important. She pulls me up on my shit and calls me out when I don’t know stuff; she’s just such a great mentor really.” Looking to the future, Mary hopes to break away from the ‘emerging designer’ label and in to the luxury market, “At the end of the day I don’t want to make boring clothes. I’m just not doing it anymore. I’ll do t-shirts but they’ll be beautiful with an amazing finish. But I’m not doing anything boring, no way, not again. I’m very fiery about that.” Whilst London seems to cave in on itself, with multiple houses closing with each season and a move towards a more sober fashion industry, Mary is gearing up for her most personal collection yet, “This time around I definitely feel more headstrong and like I know what I’m doing. My next collection is very vocal - lets put it that way - it’s saying something.” Championing her northern heritage, club culture and magic, Mary is cutting through the bullshit of faux conceptual design and subtly standing up for what she really believes in. Words by Ione Gamble All clothing by Mary Benson
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"At the end of the day I don't want to make boring clothes. I'm just not doing it anymore. I'm very fiery about that."
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Polyester
Opposite: Top by Sophie Cull Candy This Page: Glasses by Black Eyewear
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FEMMES TO THE FRONT Polyester
Recently, my Facebook news feed confronted me with an society on certain terms. So it’s not advert for a campaign that combined designer clothing, surprising that a collection based shopping and exhibition, set in a environment intent on around the neutralising of gender in exploring a “difficult” experience clothing, under the current societal of dressing-for-gender, or and capitalist climate, almost entirely perhaps of being “agender” - as it was called. While avoids the feminine. Femininity is feeling torn about the idea of a shopping experience not always indicative of complicity or where the notion of being queer, (as agender weakness. It can be rebellious. Think suggests), is celebrated, I was annoyed that what of drag queens and trans* girls, femme was considered queer here was almost essentially lesbians and other groups for whom glorified, monochrome menswear. I think, at first, my often femininity is pivotal to their main objection was how sporty, identities/ skinny and plain most of it lives. These " The truth is, capitalism seemed. I found myself flicking are often rewards masculinity. through photo after photo of people you boys and girls in shorts, hoodies Notions of success are can’t overlook and t-shirts. I quickly got bored. IRL, people all based on masculine I wondered why a shopping you don’t want concept of this ambitious nature to ignore when aspiration, and erasure face had veered in the direction of to face. I the plain. Where the hell did all think we ought of the opposite" the glitter go?! What happened to not to forget the infinite possibilities of fabric, that some people colour, texture and form? don’t have the privilege of blending in. Statistics suggest that the majority The fashion industry and fashion press have of transgender people globally face a long laborious history of masculinising violence for living authentically as “androgyny.” From Dior’s Le Smoking to Coco themselves. Being someone who’s Chanel’s bias cut, flash forward to the second constantly interacting with other half of the 20th century, to Grace Jones’ and Annie Lennox’s pioneering androgynous dress. One similarity remains despite the fact they exist decades apart one. The fact they are dubbed radical is reliant on the fact they are women adopting traditionally masculine codes of dress. With the rise of LC:M, comes a change in Menswear; no longer is the masculine defined by suit and tie. Instead we have sportswear, so it’s unsurprising that the baggy shapes, basketball shorts, trainers, and bucket hats popularised on the catwalk by designers like Christopher Shannon and Nasir Mazhar play a starring role in defining 21st century androgyny. This near exclusion of the outright feminine into the criteria for “androgyny,” is the same tired misogyny we see in all other areas of mainstream western culture. I want to see all kinds of clothes being considered for the status of ANDROGYNOUS. The lack of colour or florescence in menswear denies power to all queerness at the heart of what I’ve always associated my queerness with being – deliberate and in-your-face femininity. Femininity is always deemed shameful, even when it’s sexy or desirable, and only acceptable to
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Photography by Joanna Kiely Styling by Claudia Walder
Set Design by Amy Exton Make-up by Robyn Fitzsimmons
Bella wears Dress by by Sun, shoes by Serap Pollard (all sunglasses by Black Eyewear), Rakel wears Dress by El Pizo, Shoes by Kat Maconie, Alice wears jacket by Cheek LDN, Trousers by Fleamadonna, Shoes by Miista
"As women, we aspire to show all sides of ourselves, females aren't supposed to be super photoshopped and flawless, because who wants another perfect little pop star?" Despite the fact they abandoned the project’s purely performance based beginnings, the interplay of different genres and influences drive Rakel, Alice and Bella to subvert industry conventions, and build their own path. “Dream Wife initially referenced mostly 90’s heroes, there was a lot of girl power and this idea of doing it for yourself; not asking for permission and not having someone else like a record label build your image,” says Alice. All three of the girls refuse to acknowledge that their love for clothing and performance restricts their ability to identify as feminists, attributing the evolution of the band with boosting their confidence and giving them a positive sense of self esteem, “It's quite a brave thing to wear colour, it takes guts to rock outfits that Sabrina the Teenage Witch wore that you admired when you were a kid”. With their name taken from a Cary Grant film, Dream Wife are inspired by hidden darkness in domesticity and fake female stereotypes. “We want to present ourselves as multi-faceted. That’s the fun part of this and also a huge feminist statement as well. As women, we aspire to show all sides of ourselves - females aren’t supposed to be super photoshopped and flawless, because who wants another perfect little pop star?” But what does the future hold for Dream Wife? Still so young and occupying an awkward space in which they could easily appeal to either a mainstream or niche audience, the girls are enjoying touring, creating things with friends and refusing to grow up. The interplay of all these components existing within the context of the band is essentially what sets them apart from other acts co-exist in the same space, but it’s their defiant attitudes against fitting in a cookie cutter mould of what it means to be female in a band that makes Dream Wife all the more interesting. “You might think you know what we are, but then we're going to flip the page. There’s no predicting what we’ll do next and it’s definitely not going to be what you think.”
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Words and production by Ione Gamble
Top left- Rakel wears top by Chic Freak, Trousers by Cheek LDN, Shoes by Kat Maconie, Cuff by Romy LDN, bottom left- Jacket by Cheek LDN
you’re stepping up your game. Often you show up and always feel underdressed.” Alice also recognises these parallels, “The more we continue, the more I see the similarity with drag, just in regards to spending a portion of your time super dressed up and glamorous, and then just being really quite grotty and understated day to day,” she laughs, “We get a lot of glamorous photos taken but we are all still very real people inside of that.”