Mission’s ninth issue explores “identity” in all its malleable facets.
In today’s world, “Identity” is a contentious topic. The heated discourse surrounding identity politics has caused mass political and generational divides as we grapple with society’s shifting understanding of sexuality and gender. With abortion rights under threat in America, women standing up against a tyrannical regime at the hands of the morality police in Iran, and LGBTQIA+ people continuing to be persecuted for their identity the world over, Mission decided to dedicate its ninth issue to the politics and playfulness of “identity.”
Scroll down for five reasons to buy.
1. Fashion mainstay and longtime Mission collaborator Sølve Sundsbø strikes again in our SS23 issue, this time capturing the vulnerability of the naked human body juxtaposed with the transformative power of clothes. Meanwhile, the models lensed for the shoot open up to writer Anastasia Vartanian about their relationship to their bodies. “I didn’t bat an eyelid to take off my clothes and create this art, whereas three years ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed of standing topless in front of anyone. I used to hate the sight of my own body,” admits model James Corbin of his changing self-perception. Image courtesy of Sølve Sundsbø for Mission.
“Being a Black man who’s working in the White House changes how I look at policy. “
Jerome Foster II
2. Mission got to sit down with the White House’s youngest-ever advisor (and occasional sidekick to Jane Fonda), Jerome Foster II, who delineates the intrinsic, and all too often overlooked link between climate change and social injustice. “Being a Black man who’s working in the White House changes how I look at policy. Being Black as an activist has changed how I see environmental justice. Being a gay Black man is being an ally to everyone and fighting for common justice,” says Foster. Image by Benjamin Kapit.
3. Amid the political upheaval in Iran, New York-based artist Shirin Neshat shares her take on how the country’s oppressive regime altered artistic expression, “one thing about poetic language, especially from Iran, where we have censorship and years and years of dictatorship, you know, people have learned very well to say everything between the lines,” Neshat shares. Homepage image courtesy of Shirin Neshat.
4. This issue’s cover story is a profile on Barbie, The Idol, and Transparent star Hari Nef. In an interview with Juno Kelly, Nef gets candid on why nothing she ever does is going to be a “crowd pleaser” and weighs in on the nudity on-screen debate that recently dominated online discourse. “I think sex scenes rock as long as they show sex either for how it is or for how it feels, and it doesn’t always have to feel great, but frequently it does. And ideally, we’re all coming to sex with the best intentions, and as an actress, I’m down for sex on-screen, you know? I’m ready to get naked,” says Nef. Image courtesy of Ryan McGinley for Mission.
5. America’s rampant attack on reproductive rights catapulted Olivia Julianna into a career in activism. But for Juliana, a committed Christian, religion and abortion rights don’t have to be mutually exclusive. “The reason why I’m involved in politics and the reason why activism is so important to me is because I was raised in the church. I was taught to be a servant leader and to be selfless and loving, and kind and patient and generous,” Julianna tells journalist Audra Heinrichs. Image by Sam Schmir
