Megan Winstone, a photographer and model, has found that being Welsh, fat, and working-class has helped her excel in her career. Despite the criticisms levelled at the fashion industry for its elitism and preoccupation with thinness, Winstone has photographed for high-profile publications like Vogue and worked with brands such as Dr. Martens. Her work has been acquired by National Museum Wales.
According to Winstone, her physical appearance and social class have possibly made individuals more at ease when working with her. A native of Abercynon in the south Wales valleys, Winstone’s teachers discouraged her by stating she wouldn’t do much with her life. “I’ve got little to no GCSEs, I’ve got autism, I’ve got a speech and language disorder as well,” she recalled. Nonetheless, photography allowed her to express herself.
Winstone began building her portfolio by photographing her friends, family, neighbours, and individuals who weren’t typically heard from in the industry. She drew inspiration from her background in the valleys, punk culture, and the quest to challenge society’s norms on body image. It was a major milestone for her to be admitted to Arts University Bournemouth purely on the strength of her portfolio. Nevertheless, her work continually returned to the south Wales valleys.
Winstone, alongside other Welsh creatives such as fashion stylist and creative director Charlotte Wilcock and writer and editor of Polyester magazine Gina Tonic, developed the Lily of the Valley project in 2019. “It was sort of a love letter to the valleys,” she said. The project intended to disrupt the norms with a “faded glamour, working-class visual.” The creative team brought in designers, local make-up artists, and assistants for the project, which included photographs of Winstone’s grandmother’s bedroom, her garden, the valleys’ mountains, and her local chippy.
Winstone’s career skyrocketed when she photographed for bigger publications, such as British Vogue and Kerrang! magazine. Her work in music had snowballed, and she was working with Atlantic Records, most recently photographing Welsh rock musician and rising star Hannah Grae from Port Talbot. She believes that the fashion industry has come a long way in terms of acknowledging diverse bodies and backgrounds. However, she attributes a portion of her achievement to being at the right place at the right moment. “It feels kind of like a dream,” she added
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
