YawnyBlew and amir. are multidisciplinary artists and activists from New York City. Connecting over their mutual love of music and passion for representation, the duo collaborated on a pair of remixes in the fall of 2021 for Yawny's single "R.I.P," which were featured in Rolling Stone India and Bear World Magazine.
Fueled by their desire to center black queer voices and plus-sized bodies, Yawny and amir are collaborating on a series of releases this fall with a focus on their respective journeys through gender, sexuality, and body image. With these releases, the pair plan to create inclusive conversations with other creatives at their various intersections to spotlight those not often showcased in the mainstream media. This includes fellow artists, models, activists, entrepreneurs, and more.
Their next single will be a continuation of their "R.I.P" remix series titled "I Need U More," OUT NOW.
This will be followed by their first original offering, "Can't Compete," in November. "Can't Compete" is influenced by '90s rap duos like Redman and Method Man visually while taking sonic cues from Queer and Ballroom adjacent acts like Leikeli 47, Cakes Da Killa, and Princess Nokia. The record is a braggadocious ode to big bodies, with a focus on male-identifying individuals who are often left out of discussions surrounding confidence and body image. Yawny and amir are looking for collaborators interested in being a part of their journey and lending their platforms, resources, and visibility to this exciting new endeavor.
Photos by Ryan C. Hamilton
The EveryMAN Project is back.
Get into some behind the scenes footage from our latest editorial "Fluid".
Photographed by our founder Tarik Carroll featuring writer, model & storyteller Laquan Pegues. Laquan sits down with The EveryMAN project for a quick chat on Fluidity, Self-Expression & his experiences as a plus size fashion model.
Photography - Tarik Carroll
Creative Direction - Tarik Carroll
Videography - John Dargan
Model - Laquan Pegues
Producer - Tarik Carroll & Laquan Pegues
AS FEATURED IN OUT MAGAZINE
Our mission with The EveryMAN project has always been to showcase a wide spectrum of masculinity and body types. With this shoot, our goal was to highlight men of trans experience of various body types & backgrounds which will hopefully spark a much needed discussion about the visibility of men of trans experience in media. In line with EveryMAN’s mission of self love & self acceptance our theme & inspiration for this campaign was Gods & Royalty. Through visual story telling our goal is to encourage men of all experiences to view themselves as royalty and channel their inner highest selves
Models
Designers
Team
Photography & Creative Direction
Lead Production
Production Assistants
Styling @justchristopher86
Studio & Set Design
Tarik Carroll is a New York-based fashion/music photographer, and founder of The EveryMAN Project, which sheds light on the effect of toxic masculinity on body image and engages online communities in conversation around gender, sexuality, and self-acceptance.
INTO caught up with Tarik about the project for a portrait session and roundtable discussion in Los Angeles.
The EveryMAN Project celebrated their first-year anniversary by creating their own underwear campaign showcasing an inclusive cast of 12 men across various body types and ethnicities.
Inspired by Solange Knowles’s music video for “Cranes in the Sky” and the work of photographer Carlota Guerrero, the intention on camera and behind the camera was one to celebrate unity, brotherhood & embracing vulnerability. The shoot even pays homage to Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” music video.
“We created a visually engaging underwear campaign that truly encourages men to love and celebrate themselves as they are,” says EveryMAN Project founder & photographer, Tarik Carroll. “This shoot is a celebration of beauty, diversity, inclusion & self love. With each shoot our goal at EveryMAN is to continuously challenge industry constructs & ideals on male beauty as well as dispelling toxic masculinity.”
Carroll founded The EveryMAN Project following an “April Fool’s Joke” underwear campaign by American Eagle. In April 2016, the brand created an underwear editorial featuring men with a variety of body types, and then claimed it as simply a hoax.
In a society where people who are plus size or just have a body type that’s not deemed conventionally attractive by mainstream fashion or media brands, this underwear shoot is a bold and empowering statement on where we are shifting as a culture.
Photography/Creative Direction: Tarik Carroll
Styling: Mark Anglin
Makeup: Jarrett Brandon & Spanky Aguirre
Photo Assistants: Beth Hicks
Videography: John Dargan
Jewelry: Charant Gold
Gold Cape: Charant Gold,
Underwear: Model’s Own & Parke and Ronen
Robes: Model’s Own
Models:
Louis Merino
Tevin Evans
Marquis Neal
Jordan Evangelista
Christopher Cespedes
Alex Frankel
Laquan
Daquan Studwood
Giorgio Alexander
Lamar Shambley
Ben Bartels
Alex Cheser
Catching up with our brother Shawn Finnie, dropping gems of wisdom.
We spoke about, self love, embracing authenticity and re-defining what it means to be a man. Stay tuned for more from us!
Follow Shawn on instagram @NOIMNOTACELEBRITY
" I think we all struggle with unlearning… I, like most people have been told who and what I should be from as early as I can remember. Society reminds us every day that we should walk, talk, and act like some other alternate version than ourselves. It’s a constant reminder for me to define the man I want to be. Men aren’t supposed to cry, be vulnerable, or basically have emotion, but those same very things make me-me. Those same attributes make me a better person, a better human."
- Shawn Finne
Male body insecurities still remain largely undiscussed, so WGSN spoke to photographer Tarik Carroll, model Marquis Neal and Jay Hassan, menswear communications officer at BoohooMAN, to learn how brands can better appeal to the young big and tall community.
Tarik Carroll launched the EveryMan Project to present diverse and real expressions of what it means to “be a man.” The ongoing photo series aims to challenge societal conventions of manliness and validate all forms of masculinity.
With a mission to empower men of all body-types and turn the fashion industry on its head, The EveryMan Project is making waves as a fashion photo project that directly challenges hyper-masculinity and body shaming within the industry. Amidst the incredible reception to the project, Allsaints Brand Elevation Manager, Alejandro Guillen reached out to The EveryMan team to collaborate on a photo shoot styled completely by Allsaints. Did you know Allsaints went up to XXL? Neither did we. Which is exactly why Guillen saw The EveryMan Project as a way to highlight and celebrate that. See the unpublished photos below. "With our first shoot, our goal was to start planting seeds of body positivity & self-acceptance," says EveryMan Project founder and photographer Tarik Carroll. "We are beginning to see those seeds grow into new life, and by collaborating with Allsaints, we offer a new perspective within the fashion industry to showcase a diverse “real male aesthetic." Behind the stunning photos lies the true heart of the project: the stories. Models from the Allsaints shoot opened up on set about their personal struggles with body image issues –from being told by record labels they'll never be marketable based on their body type, growing up as a large queer black kid in Brooklyn, to finding confidence in becoming a plus-size male Instagram Style Influencer.
Models
@tamagoochi
@lamar_brandon
@marquimode
@jmeinnyc
@ericarceneaux
