ANA
2020
in the photo ANA LAURA GIACOMINI
styling DUDA VERÍSSIMO
art direction/photography GABRIEL VENZI
beauty PABLO SOARES
special thanks to Aline Freire
ANA LAURA - "Sliding between genders has always happened very naturally for me; many times, it just depended on how I woke up that day. The experience became more and more a part of me, in the excitement of exploring myself, getting to know my personalities, and feeling comfortable. I believe that for many teenagers who defy normativity, there is a very delicate process of identification, and this reflects in various aspects of daily life. Like clothing and sexuality, which in my case, for a long time, I believed were somehow related, as if my sexuality, the way I dress, and even the gender I should fit into had to represent exactly the same thing.
Great friends and a very personal quest about who I am helped me understand how it's possible to dissociate my visual identity from my sexuality/gender. Being able to open my closet and see the same Ana in various versions is liberating, and the confusion caused is almost comical. My mom says she doesn't know how to give me anything as a gift, making Hering the only reference for her. Today, I have a collection of basic shirts, all gifts from my mom. All worn, some with my belly showing, others down to the knee."
Ana's full participation in this project is what allowed us to portray the personality and strength that faithfully represent our protagonist. She is free from concerns about her sexuality, navigating between feminine and masculine symbolisms, sometimes combined, sometimes completely immersed in one of the genders. In styling, Duda Veríssimo sought to portray the feminine with light and bucolic makeup and an unpretentious hairstyle, perfectly executed by Pablo Soares. In clothing, the proposal was to use tailored pieces from the male wardrobe, oversized and meticulous items with the high-necked blouse and the cinched finish of a leather belt. Striking pieces made from raw materials loaded with originality, class, and timelessness. The team's request was for Ana to be herself in the scene, so, as she looked at herself in the mirror and lit her cigarette seconds before the clicks, she delivered this image that exactly captured the expected – the feminine and the masculine in a harmonious hybrid, the power and sophistication of self-awareness in a woman who is not afraid to be who she is, becoming an indestructible force capable of transforming any judgment automatically into admiration.
Text: Duda Veríssimo
