Style
Janelle Monae Fronts SHAPE Magazine & Talks Mental Health, Activism & Creativity
Janelle Monae fronts the cover of SHAPE Magazine and as usual, she is stunning!
On being a creative risk taker
“I can never as an artist think about, ‘are people going to be moved by this?’ I have to be moved first. One of the things I’ve made a conscious effort to do, specifically with Antebellum, is to shed light on racial injustice.
I’ve made it a thing to face discomfort. I think discomfort is part of everyone’s reality right now.
On how she is staying strong mentally.
“I realized that I was dealing with abandonment issues, and just last year, I started to really deal with it. My dad was in and out of my life growing up, and other instances where I felt abandoned were coming up to the surface.
I started to write these things down, and I remember just crying like a baby. I will say that it is so freeing when you can identify your trauma. Knowing why you feel a certain way or why these feelings of being upset or angry or sad—why they’re happening, what the root of it is. It’s just so empowering.”
Read the full interview here
Credits
Photographer: @danascruggs
Stylist: Alexandra Mandelkorn @mandelkorn
Hair: Nikki Nelms @nikkinelms
Makeup: Jessica Smalls @JessicaSmalls
Set Stylist: Wooden-Ladder @woodenladder
Creative Director: Noah Dreier @noahdreier
Photo Director: Toni Loggia @toniloggia
