COMPLEXD WOMAN: JENN HOFFMAN

Complexd Woman presents Photographer Jenn Hoffman who shot the Island issue front cover.

Name: Jenn Hoffman
Age: 25
Place of Birth: Connecticut
Current Residence: Los Angeles, CA

I was born and raised in North Carolina where everyone is real and genuine. I had a great upbringing and enjoyed my childhood, which was never short of trips to Disney World and big Christmas celebrations. I was raised as a Christian but as I grew older decided not to follow the faith.

My interest in photography started at college. I became intrigued by the artistic nature of photography when I saw a photographer pull over on a side road take his camera out of his trunk and snap away enthusiastically at something. When I asked to see the image it was a photograph of a babies shoe in a sewer. I found it interesting and that’s when I realized I also had an artistic and eccentric nature.

In my subjects I look for presence but the face is just as important too.

Complexd cover girl Latoya is such a professional model. She carries herself beautifully and puts her all into her work.

I am a Complexd photographer because I like people to feel emotions through my shots.

See more of Jenn’s work here

December 2, 2011 | Posted in Complexd Women | Leave a comment

COMPLEXD WOMAN: LATOYA HAWTHORNE

Complexd’s catch-up session with cover girl Latoya Hawthorne.

Photographed by Brian D. Nelson

How does it feel to be a Complexd Cover girl?

I am ever so grateful! I am so happy to reach an audience of young women who have struggled with issues similar to my own. It takes a lot of courage to admit your wrong doings and be able to live with yourself after that. I have turned my past into something positive. Without my past, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today.

Photographed by Gregory Prescott 

What are you thinking at this precise moment?

I’m ecstatic! But laughing at the fact that my family and friends are going to see me naked. There are also a lot of people that don’t know my full story.  Now that it’s out in the open I can stop sugar-coating my life story.

Photographed by Edo Plasschaert

What makes you laugh?

Everything and anything…I am easily amused.

Photographed by D. Brian Nelson

Why did you shave your hair?

After years of stress, wearing weave and relaxing my hair it started falling out. One day I just shaved it off. It was so liberating. I’ve received a lot of compliments ever since.

Photographed by Jan Lim

What is your favourite food?

Everything! I’m a huge foodie. If I had to choose one dish it would be calamari. I also love avocado so much so that I have an avocado tree in my backyard.

Photographed by Martin Deboer

What do you do to keep fit?

I love a good hike and being outdoors and connecting with nature. I also do boxing, pilates and yoga.

2020 Photography 

Do you have any body insecurities?

I hardly gain weight but when I do, it goes straight to my thighs and butt. I have a love hate relationship with but I’ve learned to eat in moderation.

What is your theme song at the moment?

So Simple by Stacie Orrico

Sonic of Inkblotch Photography 

How would you describe your personal style?

My style is bohemian. I love scarves, purses, bracelets and big earrings. I have no hair so I’ve learned to accessorize.

Photographed by Sylvie Blum

 Talk us through your beauty regime?

I’m such a plain Jane because I’m sensitive towards products and smells. I breakout in rashes and get migraines very easily, so I only use products by Aveeno and Kiehl’s. I use Kiehl’s ultra facial cleanser and the oil-free moisturizer daily and then apply anti-aging primer from Cover FX for an extra glow. Aveeno’s smart essentials anti-fatigue eye treatment is great for dark circles under the eyes.  I use NARS Cosmetic’s larger than life volumizing mascara and finally lip-gloss by Victoria Secrets. My hair regime is the best part. I do absolutely nothing to it!

Photographed by Martin Deboer 

Where do you get your strength from?

Boxing is an amazing workout and it gives me so much confidence. It’s good for a woman to have self-defense skills under her belt.

December 1, 2011 | Posted in Complexd Women | 2 Comments

COMPLEXD WOMAN: JULIE WALMSLEY

Name: Julie Walmsley

Age: 33

Place of birth: San Fransisco, California, USA

Current residence: Boa Vista, Cape Verde & London, UK

I was born in California and me and my family moved to New Jersey when I was a year old. I lived an active life – my best friend’s parents owned a roller skating rink and we would skate every hour of the day listening to our favourite Madonna songs. I spent every summer at summer camp running wild in the natural landscapes of New Jersey.  When we moved back to Essex in England, I hated it. I only started to appreciate my British heritage in my late 20s. My accent confuses everyone, my American friends think I sound British’ while my British friends think I’m a yank through and through.

I’m a professional photographer, specializing in portraiture, fashion and product photography. I decided to freelance because I became frustrated working under people in big organizations and not having creative or artistic control.

I love the freedom and independence of finding work and building contacts.  Photography wasn’t my first choice; I studied marine biology because it was something I wanted to do from a young age. Although I did not follow that career path, I volunteer in my spare time, mainly working with sea turtles.

The first voluntary project I got involved in protected leatherback turtles in Costa Rica, and then through a friend I found out about a project called Turtle Foundation set up in Cape Verde.

I visit every season and I have been promoted to camp coordinator. Small groups of us camp out in tents for four months on Boa Esperanca, one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever visited.

I never heard of Cape Verde before doing the project, , but I was passionate about endangered turtles and curious to find out more about the culture.

I wish I could, but I can’t explain why Boa Vista means so much to me. The first time I visited it felt like home in a weird way. Life passes at a different speed and people’s priorities are completely different. It really appeals to me.

Around the world the oceans inhabitants are becoming endangered. We have over-fished so many species that we are at risk of them never fully recovering and Europe, Japan, China and the USA are taking more than their fair share. Commercial fishing is one of the main culprits for the numbers of sea turtle crashing by 90% over the last two decades! On top of this turtle meat and eggs are eaten as a delicacy in Cape Verde and other parts of the world. The Turtle Foundation was set up to protect turtles from poachers and raise awareness about the issue.

When you are watching the turtles and protecting them during their reproductive journey, you can’t help but have the utmost respect for what they have achieved- the number of boats, nets and hooks they have avoided to lay their eggs is startling. I feel a sense of responsibility and pride in what Turtle Foundation is doing, especially when the turtles return safely to the ocean. It is one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever done!

Women have the power to be both sexy and strong.

I am Complexd because I want it all – a great career, living abroad, learning new languages and the determination to make it a reality!

View Julie’s Cape Verde camp experience here

Photographs by Julie Walmsley 

November 29, 2011 | Posted in Complexd Women | 7 Comments

EDITOR’S DIARY: NOWHERE PEOPLE

Complexd magazines Island issue will be live this week and we look forward to releasing another issue that explores culture, community and belonging. Complexd captures the interest of cosmopolitan women who have a strong sense of cultural identity. Over the weekend I visited an exhibition that opened my eyes to people who have no identity because they have been outcaste by their countries and culture.

Nowhere People by Greg Constantine is a series of photographs that depicts a small minority of the estimated fifteen million people worldwide who have no nationality and are stateless. The most touching image was of this 20 year old girl.

‘Without citizenship, stateless people belong to no country and are refused most social, civil and economic rights. In most cases, they cannot work legally, receive basic state health care services, obtain an education, open a bank account or benefit from even the smallest development programs. They are often deprived the freedom to travel, the right to own land or possess essential documents like an ID card, birth certificate or passport. Entire communities are denied an identity and are excluded from participating and contributing to places most have lived in for generations. Seen as outsiders and outcasts of society, stateless people are the unwanted and the unwelcome whatever the ground beneath their feet.

Nowhere People intends to give a small voice to people who for generations have had none. It aims to show the human toll the denial of citizenship has claimed on people and ethnic groups that find themselves excluded from society by forces beyond their control. More importantly, it hopes to provide tangible documentation of proof that millions of people hidden and forgotten all over the world actually exist.’

Nowhere People is exhibiting in London at the Royal Albert Hall until December 7th 2011. To find out about exhibitions in your city and more information on the project click here 

November 28, 2011 | Posted in Editor's Diary | Leave a comment

COMPLEXD VISUALS: REAL BEAUTY

South African photographer Jodi Bieber reviews her project Real Beauty.

‘The work deals with reality; photoshop has not been used to remove blemishes, scars, cellulite and any other form of ‘imperfection’.


‘The photographic shoot was collaboration between me and each woman. Each woman’s pose was pretty much self-directed. I wanted each woman to project their personality or their fantasy into their shoot so they could explore their own identity in relation to beauty’

‘One thing that came to light in Real Beauty was that South Africa is conservative as a nation. People thought I was recruiting women for a pornographic shoot! The three main excuses that people used for saying no to being photographed (besides body privacy rights) were; “my” husband wouldn’t agree to it, religious views, and just feeling uncomfortable with their body shapes. Another issue that arose from the images produced from Real Beauty is the different belief systems held amongst different communities. Very thin and tall women might be perceived by their communities as being sick, possibly with HIV/Aids and more full figured women as healthy. In other communities thin women are often more desirable’

‘From the interviews I carried out most women believe that there isn’t a perfect body shape and it’s more about being healthy and feeling comfortable in one’s own skin’

See more of her work here

November 24, 2011 | Posted in Complexd Women, Visuals | Leave a comment