Not A Monolith

107

Not digestible, I am not a quota-filled, a satisfactory tale.
I am not muted faces, an expected stance.
I am not a trend followed, a fad fantasy.
I am not well trained, not well adjusted.
I am not a duplicate, not duplicating.
I am not what you would expect, not what you’d least
expect.
I am not yours, not theirs either.
I am not to be toured, don’t stare either.
I am not to be explored, an amusing anomaly.
I am not describable, a vocabulary for conformity.
I am not a wild card, a shuffle in a deck.
Simply, I AM NOT A MONOLITH.

Often when referencing an artist or creator from a specific demographic they are automatically placed in a box, this box encompasses abounding expectations. The common misconception is that artist from minority groups have the same message, motives, and intent in their creations and to be successful in their field they must fit a previously accounted-for category so they are digestible enough to the public, that they won’t be too much of an exception. This notion fails to account for the multi-dimensional faces of individuals and how diverse a person is regardless of their demographic. Individuals are not quota fillers, diversity tokens, and palatable muses for box-minded consumers. Often, individuals of Asian descent are seen as ‘the same’ and sharing this story in this editorial perfectly reflects a flawed notion and how this flaw translates a message that creators, muses, and artists from diverse groups are not a monolith, we are not one and the same. Yet, we are individual beings with individual purposes, points of view, and upbringing, and we each as individuals bring something different to the table. By Munglassy.

left | pants **LOUIS VUITTON** | right | pants & cummerbund **SAAF GARMENTS** gloves **STYLIST’S OWN**

pants and cummerbund **SAAF GARMENTS** shoes **JOHN FLEUVOG** gloves **STYLIST’S OWN**

left / jacket & pants YING KONG top GUCCI shoes JOHN FLUEVOG | right / jacket MELCHORCHADO pants RUN TAN DU

jacket **SAAF GARMENTS** top **RAY DOTS** skirt **THE SOCIETY ARCHIVE** shoes **ROFF AEL** earring **RAINBOW UNICORN SURPRISE**

left | pants and cummerbund **SAAF GARMENTS** gloves **STYLISTS OWN** | right | pants **LOUIS VUITTON** shoes **JOHN FLUEVOG**

*left | top **MELCHORCHADO** pants **LOUIS VUITTON** | right |* pants **THE SOCIETY ARCHIVE** brooch gloves **STYLISTS OWN**

*left | jacket* **MELCHORCHADO** pants **ROFF AEL** shoes **JOHN FLUEVOG** | middle | jacket & pants **YING KONG** top **GUCCI** shoes **JOHN FLUEVOG** | right | jacket **SAAF GARMENTS** top **RAY DOTS** skirt **THE SOCIETY ARCHIVE** shoes **ROFF AEL** earring **RAINBOW UNICORN SURPRISE**

Team Credits
Photography Munglassy
Styling Sam Deutsch
Models Jin Victor @ One Management, Elia Lee @ Muse Models, Shotaro Sugiyama @ Muse Models
Hair Kyle Hugo
Makeup Tadatoshi Horikoshi
Production Delaney Kai
Studio LR2 STUDIO
Photography Assistant Jillian Michalski
Digi Tech SHOTTI
Styling Assistant Rowaine Grant
Production Assistant Sabrina DiGeorge