![]() ![]() I think it’s stupid to try and separate ourselves because we might use Instagram exclusively. Galore believes that the distinction between “regular models” and “Instagram models” is class-based, and reaffirmed by delusions of superiority. But as she built a following on social media off of legitimate work where she was paid to look good, the phrase “Instagram model” was attached to her name. When I reached that goal, I was done.” Within two years she’d transitioned into music videos for artists like Kendrick Lamar and Drake, and modeling for publications like BlackMen magazine. “I had a goal: to make a certain amount of money and then get out. “I promised my mom I wouldn’t get lost in the sauce,” Galore said. ![]() She worked in a strip club as a dancer, graduated with honors, and purchased her first car with cash. She inspired me, disciplined and focused, choosing to create a life she loves. There were stipulations she was expected to adhere to, but she never did. Then, like now, there were constant debate about her looks: Was her hair really hers? Did she wear padded jeans, or was she just blessed by puberty? She never gave into the chatter, instead we’d sit in class and talk about our dreams and goals. She was a bold girl who stirred controversy wherever she went. Galore and I went to middle and high school together in Houston, Texas nearly nine years ago. They love to pick those things apart.”Īlong with women like India Love and Karrueche Tran, Galore has been pigeonholed into what has become known as the “Instagram model” - a derisive way of referring to the many young women who have built, or are hoping to build, careers using the social platform. The content I put out and who I choose to date. Increasingly, photos and videos like the ones she posts, featuring young women of color parading their beauty as a way of seeking agency, are the subject of condemnation from conservative outlets, internet trolls, and people who believe women should subscribe to a particular kind of respectability politics. Galore’s proportions shift her out of mainstream respectability, and she finds this division reductive. Curves on black women are almost never praised in mainstream magazines like Vogue or Elle. We’ve always been classy enough.” Her skin is poreless, with high cheekbones and a chiseled jaw - features you’d see in a high-fashion magazine. “I think a woman should be able to do what she wants,” she told me. ![]() Still, the post was not without its share of critics: one user commented, “Keep walking them streets to get that money.”Ī couple of hours before Galore posted this video for her 3.3 million followers, we were on FaceTime. The video featured no music, but Galore’s measurements - 36 x 26 x 44 - rang as clear as any song. The caption: “Hair Slay Of Life” punctuated by two fire emoji. In January, Lira Galore posted a video to Instagram of her unbound hair: all 28 mesmerizing inches of it, slipping past the model and self-styled influencer’s heart-shaped backside like ink. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |