Laura Du Vé

Whether behind or in front of the camera, Laura Du Vé creates images that depict the strength and vulnerability of feminine people within the queer community. She may have started as a “weird, fashionless, emo dork” in high school, but today, Du Vé is a sought-after photographer, stylist, plus-size fashion consultant, videographer, and make-up artist, as well as model in her own right. (She recently strutted her stuff at Melbourne Fashion Week and posed as a centerfold in Archer magazine.) Du Vé says she found her own strength from connecting with other queer fat people online. “Finding your own intersection can be some of the most invigorating things you can do for yourself,” she says. “By figuring out who you are, what your interests are and what you believe, others won’t be able to stay away from that enamoring strength.” As an artist, she is selective about which brands and people she works with. Being out on the job might have held her back in some mainstream spaces, she says, but those aren’t the spaces in which she chooses to operate anyway. Her message to others in the LGBTQ community is, “Own your difference.” She says, “Us queer people, we’ve always been the most creative, vibrant, and interesting community, and the mainstream is finally starting to notice how incredible our uniqueness is. Don’t let them take that power from you.” —SEJ