Break Free // Ruby Rose

Ruby Rose, the presenter, DJ, model and all round kick arse individual, has just released an amazing piece of art in the form of a short film (linked below) entitled 'Break Free', which deals with issues surrounding the grey area known as gender.

If you were to think that there are only two genders in the world, then we need to have a chat. I have a lot to teach you. Personally I find it very hard to understand how majority of society doesn't recognise the fluidity of gender or the fact that there are more than two genders to begin with. The fact that intersex and trans* people are so little acknowledged is ridiculous!

These days there is a lot more publicity surrounding the topic, with this year Time magazine featuring transgender actress Laverne Cox (yeah.. she is black, a women AND transgender, and got the cover!), but there is still a long long way to go.

I found Ruby's film to be incredibly powerful, in the way that it showed two different, yet equally fantastic sides of a single individual. I have always been a big fan of Ruby (I mean have you seen that face..breathtaking), but my respect has recently grown with seeing the way Ruby expresses these taboo topics through art. The fact that the film could have the same impact if viewed backwards is also something really interesting to think about.

Ruby recently got engaged to Phoebe Dahl, and the two are possibly the most gorgeous couple in the whole world. Phoebe runs a clothing company that for every item sold, donates to young women in Nepal. Be sure to check out that fantastic work here.

Self identifying in a way that is not common in the mainstream public is in no way wrong. There are many other people out there feeling a similar way, whom are also hiding. Ruby has a platform to reach many people, and by making this film has began a fantastic discussion, about a topic that needs to be recognised. Starting up this conversation could just help one young person trying to understand their identity, and if one person is feeling more comfortable in their own skin then I think that Ruby has succeeded.

I say this all as a cis-gender identified female.

A short film about gender roles, trans*, and what it is like to have an identity that deviates from the status quo.

What are your thoughts on 'Break Free'? Is the fluidity of gender something that you have thought about?


love hannah xx