HEY GIRL IS A POSITIVE, FEMININE-SENSITIVE, INDIE PHOTOGRAPHIC FASHION MAGAZINE.

With the HEY GIRL TRIBE we want to create a space for everybody to express their creativity and have the chance to be in the magazine, but also to change fashion and photography for the better – more empowering, more freedom and more equality!

To help us do this…. We have a few guidelines for THE HEY GIRL TRIBE members shoots:

1. BE DIVERSE WITH YOUR MODELS/SUBJECTS

There are so many inspiring people out there – of all different shapes, sizes, races and abilities. We want to promote a variety of healthy body shapes, to break the archaic idea that all models/subjects must look a certain way. From working in the industry for 20 years we know that a lot of models are made to diet to keep an unsustainable weight which isn’t healthy, and models with disabilities haven’t been showcased enough and not enough diversity. So we want to move fashion away from just the one body type, no one body type is better than another. Be you, be diverse.

Just being you is COOL. ( and Yes to be open and honest … if you look at our issue 1 .. we used models with just one body type we hadn’t opened our eyes to more model body type diversity)

2. MODELS/SUBJECTS CHOOSE THEIR OWN PHOTOS

Being set up by a male photographer (Simon Clemenger). One of the biggest issues he thought about was ..

“How can I not be manipulative and make sure the model/subject is empowered by the shoot?”

So he came up with the idea – Why doesn’t the model/subject choose the final images for their magazine photoshoot.

They have control of how they are represented; how their body looks. All the models/subjects in HEY GIRL now choose their own photos. So get your amazing model/subject to choose their own final photos for THE TRIBE. At first, being a photographer/artist this might feel weird, but it is very freeing, liberating and empowering for all. You can know that your images represent a person that loves the images and is in totally control of how they are portrayed/presented. Autonomy is paramount to us.

3. WITH PHOTOGRAPHY – NO SKIN OR BODY RETOUCHING

Real life has this amazing power and confidence:

Yeah I got a spot , yeah I got bags .. Cause I am working lots and making amazing work.

Yeah I got stretch marks cause I have had an amazing baby or that’s just the way my body is.

Yeah I got scars … this happened to me… And??? So what!!!

We are made to feel bad about your body from media, from adverts of retouched images that does not depict real life. They have been made unreal – we know we have done it in the past (sorry issue 1 does have some retouching in it) we changed this and smoothed that, then we thought – YOU KNOW WHAT, what’s so wrong with all these things we are taking out?

The reader doesn’t see the real photo, so they think the model/subject is perfect, which then leads them to feel… I don’t look like that and which can lead them to feel unhappy with their body/face?

We think, you have a responsibility to the younger generation (and everybody) to free them from self judgement. Which we are non-stop bombarded with in modern day.

So we said no more, let’s love the power of a real image, real skin, real bodies, real cool…

We want to set people free, be yourself and be confident is the most powerful trait for any image .. So don’t conform; BE DIFFERENT .. How boring life would be if we were all the same.

In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.

4. WE WANT EMPOWERING CREATIVE WORK FOR EVERYBODY

Fashion and creativity to us is about freedom and fun .. and an amazing way to explore ideas. So we want to encourage positive, empowering work. Especially of women, as we have existed in a heavily male dominated artistic world for years .. Where the artist had all the control/power and the model was portrayed as pure subject/object.

No thanks!!… We want inspiring positive work that makes people go f**k yeahhhh, let’s live life to the full and go create.

These are our guildlines to help make media more empowering and HEY GIRl a unquie platform for all to love.

So ‘HEY GIRL TRIBE’ go create, have fun and we can’t wait to see your work!!!

HG xxx