MISS BLACK EXTRAORDINARY featuring Gia Love
Miss Black Extraordinary (“MBE”) embraces and sheds light on Black and trans-women in the most sophisticated ways, respectfully. For this project, The GANZY worked with Gia Love (she/her) as the sole muse. Gia Love is a Black trans woman from New York City, who amplifies conversations surrounding body, race, and trans identity through her work as a model and activist.
Gia Love is the star of the Teddy Award-Winning documentary Kiki; a coming of age story about youth in the ballroom scene. Her work in ballroom culture has encompassed community activism such as HIV and STI prevention services for at-risk LGBTQAI+ youth. As a Trans Equity Consultant, Gia Love provides capacity building support across industries to make the world more equitable and inclusive of the trans and LGBTQAI+ folks who live in it.
Alongside Black creators LB Charles, Dylan Ali, and QuRan Bell, Tru Violet, and Lyric Harris, featured photographer Myesha Evon Gardner highlighted Black beauty in a way that mirrors triumph and victory amongst Black trans women. In addition, her lens captured the structure and fluidity of the sensitive trans body. Gia Love’s courageousness to overcome adversity by living in her truth unapologetically and authentically is extraordinary.
The inspiration for MBE derives from the 1960s Black is Beautiful Movement that birthed Miss Black America as well as Historical Black Colleges Universities campus Queens throughout Southern America. In these spaces, Black women were embraced for their intellect, beauty, and body as they presented themselves in a light beyond their everyday lives.
Traditionally, beauty has consisted of Eurocentric standards which solely focus on beauty as an appearance. In fashion and popular culture, this looks like petite bodies, white skin, and blonde hair. Yet, beauty goes far beyond just our physical appearances, especially Black beauty. It derives from our experiences as marginalized and invisible people in America. That’s what makes us extraordinary.
It is through our everyday experiences at the face of racial injustices and prejudices that our lights shine the brightest rays. Our resistance and ability to withstand America’s lasting cruelty makes us resilient, it is one of the most beautiful and precious gifts to Black people.
Just as beautiful and precious as Black and trans-women who continue to live in truth regardless of the harm enacted upon their bodies. The beauty that pours from Black trans-women at the face of violence throughout America and their own Black community is extraordinary and will not be unmentioned.
The horrific killings of Black trans-women have continuously taken a high toll on this community and without a doubt, this terrorism is swept under the rug. If we do not address this terrorism as one people, the division amongst Black people will continue to dim our lights.
In For The Love of The Girls, Hope Giselle projects her radical voice as she sits in conversation with Gia Love to discuss what it means to be a Black trans-woman.
For The Love of The Girls written by HOPE GISELLE
There seems to be a war on Black trans/femme bodies. We are told to live reductive lives and upon doing so we’re hunted and left for dead. Beauty doesn't hold space in this world of media predicated on talking about the struggle of the Black trans girl unchained by eurocentricity. Gia Love has broken the mold on that standard and rewritten the way that we experience beauty on and from trans women of color.
In a work where trans women are often misgendered to sooth the egos of cis folks who feel either threatened, intrigued,disgusted, and sometimes a mix of the trio. The ideology surrounding Black trans women/femmes is flawed to say the least, but what’s even more alarming is the rate at which we are being picked off and the lack of support there is around the issue.
“We're creating space, we're taking space,” stated Gia Love.
Folks on the outside have their blinders on and refuse to acknowledge the inherent and imminent danger that puts us in. They forget that we too are people. We have the right to the existence we didn’t ask for and deserve to see it through the surveyed and dejected age of 35.
“If I want to be seen as a true beauty, I have to take that space up. I'm plus size and I'm trans” says Gia when asked about how she manifests beauty on a daily basis. She speaks of wanting to expose herself and owning her natural beauty and wearing her natural hair. The collective conversation around Black trans women has to change. I specify Black trans women because of the inordinate amounts of us being not just killed, but targeted in and by the communities we bide in.
As a whole we’ve got to stop allowing folks to tokenize our existence and tell us which faces in this community deserve to be uplifted. We are beautiful and beauty personified. Most importantly let’s never forget that we deserve to feel beautiful.
When asked what she would say to her younger self Gia left us with this: “Dreams come true, just take your time. I wanted to be a representation of beauty and I feel like we all deserve that. We all deserve to be loved and feel how we want to feel.”
While reclaiming Black beauty through self dignity and style, we have to acknowledge and applaud the resilience that lives within marginalized and invisible spaces throughout Black culture. As we encourage ourselves to open spaces for Black people who are EXTRAORDINARY or outside the box, we mustn't further marginalize our fellow Black brothers and sisters in an attempt to conquer white beauty standards, dominance, and validation.
This is an unique space for trans women to embrace their everyday lives while consciously fighting to explore their truth beyond society's gender, class, and race perceptions
Production Credits
Creative Director/Content Producer/Stylist: Melquan Ganzy
Photographer: Myesha Evon Gardner
Muse: Gia Love
Featured Writer (For The Love of The Girls): Hope Giselle
Hair Stylist: Dylan Ali
Make-Up Artist: LB Charles
Nail Tech: Tru Violet
Graphic Designer: Matthew White
Creative Assistant: Lyric Harris
Assistant Hair Stylist: Quran Bell
Lighting/Gaffer: Evadne Gonzalez
Featured Designers/Brands
Harlem’s Heaven Hat Boutique
Coco and Breezy
Third Crown
Khiry
Laura Estrada Jewelry
T Label
Karoline Vitto
Chromat
Urban Vintage
