About Me
Hi, I'm Ffion, a Make-up and Hair Design graduate from Solent Uni
As a make-up artist of Afro-Caribbean descent, I specialise in diverse body ideals which reflect the forward thinking and inclusive approach to fashion and beauty the industry needs and is working towards.
As a dark skinned Black woman, it is exciting to see the industry begin to acknowledge that there is a lack of accurate representation, and a need to provide value for Black beauty consumers. My work discusses these topics, which are not only personal to me, but are a beacon for others work within culture and context for the fashion and beauty industry.
INSPIRATION
Iconic media representations such as: Grace Jones, Tina Turner and Janelle Monáe
Afrofuturism is my key inspiration as it provides accurate depictions of Black femininity and sexuality. Dark skinned women are rarely portrayed accurately in the media especially when they are written by a non-Black director. I, like many other young people, was very susceptible to the content that I was intaking as a child and teenager which had a huge effect on the way that I viewed myself and how I was viewed by my peers.
Through the character of the Black Bond Girl, I decided to create a body of work that I deemed to be an accurate representation of Black femininity and sexuality for dark skinned women. I did not make them hyper-sexual nor completely sexless like the stereotypes of the jezebel and the mammy. These characters were able to be both sexy and powerful whilst taking up space in the same way that James Bond does. My intent is to use these powerful ideals within my work as an artist within this industry.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
The Black Bond Girl - Cassandra Royale
The Black Bond Girl - Roberta Banx
The Black Bond Girl - Omi
The Black Bond Girl - Rue Harris
DETAIL
I created a series of digital posters as a parody of the James Bond media dialogue.
Using parody and illustration to portray the Black Bond Girls, I used stereotypically feminine items as props to ensure that their femininity was captured and had them wear whatever made them feel sexy, ensuring that their sexuality was entirely on their terms and not catering to the male gaze. I used spotlights to create the illusion of looking through the barrel of a gun. The usage of illustration made the posters more accurate to film posters of the time that were popular during the Blaxploitation era. The Blaxploitation era was full of negative stereotypes that I would not allow within this body of work. These posters should give people a better understanding of how Black femininity and sexuality is not a monolith and does not need to be portrayed as such.
" [Women Afrofuturists] make their own standards and sculpt their own lens through which to view the world and for the world to view them." - Ytasha Womack
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