Photographer Thalia Gochez captures and curates images of womxn of color, especially Latinx womxn, to “give them a creative sanctuary to feel beautiful despite mainstream America’s beauty standards.” Gochez aims to highlight the origins of cultures and their beauty traditions, in direct defiance of, and resistance to, the appropriation of ethnic features and beauty practices by multimillionaire celebrities like the Kardashians. In touch with her birth chart, Gochez credits her “perfectionism” to her being a Virgo, like her sis, Beyoncé

For Gochez, a perfect image of her subject and what she aspires to capture as a photographer, is one that also portrays their identity. Her Instagram is a rich collection of Latinx homegirls being captured in their neighbourhoods in California with neon eyeshadow, bamboo earrings, gem-studded eyebrows and ribbon-braided hair. In the past year, Gochez has taken on amazing projects like Hermanas de Sangre, a solo exhibition exploring the sacred and intimate moments of childhood in the Mission district of San Francisco, and Nike’s ALL FOR 1 exhibit that truly align with her mission for Latinx representation.

Text Jason Okundaye