FEATURE THE WOMAN IN THE MIRROR BY KEVIN WIRTH
As the debut project from Out on Fire Media, the queer arts organization founded by Michael Hyman, Reflections is a daring new video series that turns the camera—and the mirror—on questions of identity, beauty, and self-worth. Shot on 16mm film and inspired by Andy Warhol’s iconic 1960s Screen Tests, the 16 short films invite participants to confront the most intimate and unflinching subject of all: themselves. Each Reflections film captures four minutes of silence as subjects face their own mirrored image. The result is both minimalist and deeply revealing; a cinematic experiment in discomfort, vulnerability, and transformation. Transgender actress and author Marizol Leyva is one of the icons featured in the series. “At first it felt raw and uncomfortable to strip away the layers we put on for the world,” she reflects on her experience. “But as the session went on, I began to see my scars, my smile, my softness, and my strength coexisting. That shift—from selfconsciousness to self-celebration—was powerful to witness in real time.” Marizol Leyva shares more about what Reflections revealed to her. What drew you to be part of Reflections? Marizol Leyva: It was an invitation to confront myself honestly, without performance; and that felt aligned with my journey as a trans woman. As both an actress and an author, you’re used to telling stories. How did it feel to instead sit silently and let your reflection tell its own story? It was both terrifying and liberating to let my truth speak through silence instead of a script. Did participating in the series change the way you think about beauty, both personally and in the way society defines it? I learned I don’t have to choose between strength and softness. My scars and my smile can coexist. It reminded me that beauty isn’t in filters. It’s in resilience, imperfection, and humanity. What layers felt most significant to strip away during those four minutes? The biggest layer I stripped away was the pressure to prove myself. In that moment, I was enough just as I am.
28 THESTANDARDPS.COM