“We learnt to love ourselves before anyone else could, and that’s exactly why both of us would love to become influencers – we want to help POC and LGBTQ+ people. We want to be able to inspire them and show them that they can be free. Accepting. Love themselves.”
It’s a known fact that although we live in the twenty first century, society still chooses to mistreat and occasionally ignore minorities. Some even face discrimination from within their own communities.
Stonewall is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights charity. They have recently come forward with some data from research they carried out themselves- their figures show that 61% of all black LGBT individuals are constantly discriminated by the rest of the LGBT community. That’s three in every five people.
This year a lot more has been done to try and understand as well as support Black Queer individuals.TV shows are being more inclusive in terms of casting, and articles as well as research papers are being published to try and raise awareness on how misrepresented this community is; and to try and express just how those individuals feel about it.
The truth is that POC entities have rarely felt positively represented in the media. Even more so those who also fall in the LGBTQ spectrum. Some studies even show , that many people are trying to combat their lack of representation by turning to social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter to create profiles that allow them to express themselves. Be seen and respected.
Most importantly, these people want to be able to positively influence others by giving those who don’t often have a voice or a digital podium an opportunity to feel acknowledged.
If social media is doomed to dehumanise us and destabilize our social relationships like many banal theorists believe; at least we can find comfort in the fact that social media also appears to be the one place where those who feel misrepresented and underappreciated are able to find people who care.
In the midst of an unsporting society, where those whom are different from the mass have to face prejudice almost daily - Prince and Majesty have learnt to love and fully accept their ancestry and sexuality.
They love who they are, and others like them. The nineteen-year olds are young entrepreneurs and social media influencers who have decided to embrace what makes them unique and make it their brand.
Then only known as Elton and Elson, the twins were born and raised in Lisbon, Portugal; where they lived with their family for several years.
In 2012 They moved to Luton with their mother and sister- it was then, aged only eleven that they started to feel the weight of racism.
“We had never experienced bullying until we came to UK. We were very new to it. We were bullied for our skin, hair texture/hairstyle, our lack of English knowledge and so on”
The twins credit their Cape Verdean mother for the tenacious mindsets they have always possessed- mentioning that living with such a strong woman, made them courageous enough to ignore those who bullied and verbally abused them. They learnt to always respond to ignorant souls with warm smiles instead of spiteful comments.
Growing up, Elton and Elson didn’t really feel represented by the media- they expressed how hard it was to fully understand their sexuality when they didn’t know what Being gay really was.
In the road to self-discovery, it is slightly easier to learn about yourself and accept who you are, when you grow up seeing people that look like you and feel like you do on television, books and magazines.
For the most part, the twins and others like them didn’t have that.
“Growing up black and queer it was hard to relate to anyone I saw in the media, we didn’t feel supported as gay black individuals- there wasn’t anyone like us. Today we get a little more representation than before, and tomorrow we will get even more… it will be better every day, and hopefully that will allow young people to discover and accept themselves a lot faster.”
In 2016 Elton and Elson came out as gay men- at the age of 16.
They came out not only to their family but to everyone they knew; after that, they began feeling a lot more comfortable expressing themselves and started to take on new projects – It was around that time that they recall getting into modelling and coming up with their alter egos ‘Prince’ and ‘Majesty’.
“We built our image by accepting who we are and by knowing that from now on, we can only evolve into a better version of ourselves. this allowed us to create what in a way is our alter egos Prince & Majesty- they made us a lot more confident”
They have recently been signed by INC.MGMT. A big modelling agency that focuses on representing and nurturing the talents of LGBT+ and POC individuals- This company was created and is currently ran by the couple Kirby Roseina and Nas Connie- they described it as a “modelling agency devoted to Inclusion”.
When asked about the importance of having platforms whose main aim is to represent minorities, they responded by saying that as a queer couple of colour, they launched INC (which stands for Inclusive) because they wanted to create something “for them by them”.
Roseina and Connie spent most of their careers working in creative fields such as fashion and Photography – although they liked their work, they had become tired of always casting and shooting the same type of actors and models.
Therefore, on April 1st, 2019, they launched INC.MGMT. In the long hall, they envision their agency becoming well established, they are simply waiting for brands to become braver and bolder.
They want clients to look at their models for everyday campaigns. They want equality to be the new norm.
The twins are currently working on expanding their recognisability and have been going to events hosted by major celebrities and social media socialites such as Amber Rose Hill and Ariana Grande. In those events they get to make contacts, dance and build their following.
The twins believe that social media is a great way to reach out to people and campaign for activist movements- Therefore a big part of what they want to do is social media based. They believe that all influencers have the chance to raise awareness and promote equality.
Professor Justin Bengry, a MA Queer History lecturer at Goldsmiths University added onto Prince’s and Majesty’s argument by stating that:
“while visibility remains important, particularly for LGBTQ people of color, we should challenge entrepreneurs, particularly those with more privilege than many other people, to do more.”
When asked about freedom of expression and how it feels to be mentally as well as sexually liberated, the twins mentioned that now more than ever, they feel a hundred percent themselves- and that there are very few feelings that beat that.
Self-acceptance and self-love are the direct pathway to happiness- Prince and Majesty are great examples of how fulfilling and liberating life can be if we embrace what makes us different.
“We certainly feel 100% ourselves now. life will show/tell/give you many lessons. The hardest task will be to find yourself, but once you do…trust me, life will be insatiable, and you will learn what your purpose is, and won’t rest until you get there.”
Words by Sofia Mendes.
Photo credits to Juanita Richards .
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