We’re so excited to speak with Priscilla Yuki Wilson who is known as the biracial woman who asked photographers around the world to “make her beautiful.” “I am living in a culture that’s still adjusting to my kind of face,” she has explained. “I was taught that my natural self did not comply with conventional standards set forth by society, saying fairer skin is better, straighter hair is more attractive, and that skinny tastes good.” You’ve seen the images now hear the voice behind the project! BTW: this is a great interview. Priscilla is 23, but wise beyond her years. I can’t wait to see what she does next. —Heidi Durrow P.S. You can always download the episodes on itunes for free.
Priscilla Yuki Wilson is a “Jacklyn” of all trades. From acting to radio journalism to experimental video making, she enjoys dabbling in various avenues.
After receiving a degree in Psychology and Journalism from the prestigious college for women, Mills College in Oakland, CA, she moved back to her hometown of Los Angeles to join the city full of dreamers.
Priscilla’s main passion is story-telling. Whether it be as an actor on stage, a voice behind a mic in a studio, or sitting across from a friend at a coffee shop, her drive to share some sliver of the human experience is the foundation of everything that she does. A forever seeker, her desire for everything that she creates or is a part of is to marry the the reality of the macrocosm to the truth within the microcosm.
Greetings, Heidi and Jennifer.
Thanks for your fantastic work on these podcasts. This is an interesting topic and it would be interesting to hear Priscilla’s insight.
The “craziest” version is way away from the US version. I think it is Vietnam and Sweden: significantly changing the skin tone, with Vietnam shrinking her body and Sweden dramatically straightening her hair. I agree that the Mexico’s version is trippy with the head-shrinking, but I do thank Mexico and India for putting clothes on her. I also do peep out the eye colour changes on a number of versions.
I think an important consideration is that these are just 1 person’s version, rather than an entire society (although it can provide some insight). Also, there are 2 contrasting factors: 1.) the different standards of beauty in different cultures, and 2.) the protocol for acknowledging Priscilla’s beauty, as it is naturally within its own standard. It is somewhat unfair to judge the different cultures when the photoshop people are specifically solicited to alter the image.
I also notice that there is an absence of an African version (although that may be attributable to the Fiverr availability dynamics).
**There seem to be multiple versions of her video on YouTube. So I do actually see the crazy US version.
This is an interesting topic. Thanks.
Love And Peace,
Peter.