We are all flowers. Beautiful and delicate - only temporarily in this place. Actor
Keiynan Lonsdale, perhaps best known for his stunning performance in the hit film 'Love, Simon', and in TV series 'The Flash' - paints a beautiful image of our presence and a softer version of masculinity that's emerging within the youth of today. It’s like catching up with an old friend, as he comfortably shares insights into the whirlwind that is life.
Photographer Lauren Dukoff documents all sides of Keiynan for our autumn winter issue 'The Dreamers', from his strength to his vulnerability. Part of a new breed of men, a generation that dreams proudly, he is not afraid to show that we are all humans made up of a complex structure of different parts that balance each other beautifully. We are all fragile and vulnerable beings, and Keiynan ensures you that this is ok - this is good. We don't need to pretend anymore. It's easy to feel comforted by his words and settle somewhere nicer. as you are tempted to dare to look more inwards.
"I think man is one of the most fearful, scared, and insecure creature that has ever existed, and that’s because of the pressure each and every single boy has had placed on them and what it means to be a man. They’ve been told that it means to be straight, strong, to not cry, not show emotions, to take the woman, and have power, control, and money - then these boys that are full of love and innocence are being told that they are wrong; “You’re wrong for feeling that, you need to be tougher, you need to be a man, you’re too slow, you’re too weak, you’re too dumb”. So we begin to resent every part of us that doesn’t fit into this picture that we’ve been shown - and we bury it and hurt ourselves over it and lash out."
Stylist Nicolas Klam adds classics, yet strong styles - mixing simplicity with strength, allowing Keiynan to bring movement to the frames, his other passion. Beyond his acting, we talk about his passion for music and what he wants to give some time to next. 'Cause Keiynan isn't happy being in a single box, and why should he? He effortlessly moves within art forms ( acting, music, dance), giving him a wider voice to express what lives within his core. We dwell on the complexities of what it means to grow up as a young man in today's society and what it means to be human. Perhaps it's time to see things with a new perspective; perhaps some days the world is a rainbow and others it's ok if it's not.
According to Keiynan, each of us is a flower: it’s beautiful, it’s delicate, but if you throw a rock at it - if you stomp on it, there it goes. You can fully dive into the beauty of Keiynan and his ponderings in issue 14, which is
now available in selected stockists worldwide and via our online shop.
