This article originally appeared in The Radical Issue, no. 351, Spring 2018.
i-D is emailing with Binx Walton. She’s one of our favourite humans in the world. “The fight against harassment has absolutely blown up in the past year and I am eternally grateful to all the strong women and men speaking out,” says Binx, now 22. She’s from Tennessee, now lives in New York, and since she started modelling at the age of 16, has forged a path away from conventional, reductive typecasting. “I also have to mention diversity as well,” she writes. “It’s an uphill battle but it’s definitely improved over the last five or six years. But it’s not just the model side of things that is in need of more diversity, but really every part of the industry… hair, make-up designers, production, really just jobs in general.” Is the industry becoming more accepting of non-traditional beauty? “I would like to think so. I’m just hoping not only does it stick, but continues to change for the better.”
For Binx, priorities come down to more than skin-deep statements and postures. “Yes, I think women should be able to show whatever body part they so choose, even if it’s a nipple on Instagram — not that I really want to personally. I think people should eat first, get an education first. I mean, we have slavery in 2018. People with no access to clean water, children mining lithium for use in phones.”
What you see is what you get with Binx; honesty, raw charm, a DGAF attitude. Now Binx is part of a new world that celebrates her as her, not as different or “other”. But Binx is more than black-or-white didacticism. This is a wholehearted woman whose own thinking and questioning spurs her on. She talks about growth, about “being honest” with her emotions, about “being rooted in self” and allowing time for growth. Life’s a journey, but you’ve got to learn how to see before you can appreciate all the experiences you’ll have. “I find it’s constantly changing. Through experience, my opinions on everything shift,” Binx explains. The resoluteness of Binx’s words on email is something to respect; sincerity mixed with humility. “I’m in support of any individual or group fighting for the rights they should already have. I also think that people tend to be selfish and it’s important to prioritise…”
“It all comes down to being aware,” she continues. “Having the ability to understand and gain perspective. One of my favourite movements is the one stemming from self-knowledge. Making steps to better not only yourself, but the environment around you.”
“I’m empowered most when I read. I just read a book by Alice Walker and she truly lifted me up. Often when I can’t understand something within my personal life I can count on books and the universe to show me something I was in need of seeing. I never used to like reading, I think school made me hate it, but a few years ago it all clicked. In knowing what people go through, their views on life and the world, it helps me move on with not only myself but this planet and the people I encounter.” But it’s Binx’s journey, her beliefs and her voice that will affect change. When we question, we also answer. “Forever remember the actions justified a nation’s silence. Find the responsibility within yourself. Make a difference by starting with yourself, by understanding what people are actually going through. The system that was created for us is the same one killing us. Invest in local businesses, know where your clothes are coming from, your food, your hair products, everything! By having this stuff we knowingly endorse the very evil we despise. We have the money, we hold the power. Be nice to each other, help people out, stop hoarding wealth.”
A manifesto shining through the screen. As Alice Walker says, “you don’t always have to be doing something. You can just be, and that’s plenty.” Like Binx, let’s be and think, and in turn, do.
Credits
Text Bojana Kozarevic
Photography Zoë Ghertner
Styling Julia Sarr-Jamois
Hair Jimmy Paul at Susan Price NYC
Make-up Thomas de Kluyver at Art Partner using CHANEL Neapolis City Spring 2018
Set design Spencer Vrooman
Photography assistance Caleb Adams and Milan Aguirre
Styling assistance Alexandra Bickerdicke
Hair assistance Evanie Frausto
Make-up assistance Thomasin Waiste
Set design assistance Peter Linden and Brian Steinhoff
Production Meghan Gallagher at Connect the Dots Inc
Production assistance Sara Taylor and Doug Stearns
Casting director Angus Munro for AM Casting (Streeters NY)
Retouching StudioRM
Models Binx Walton and Hiandra Martinez at Next.
