Photo and Article by: Daiyu Tang
A regular feature until my graduation on some of the free spirits, punks and goths in Hathian. Those with styles that aren’t defined by any expectation but their own and where their impact resonates through the changed perceptions they can bring via an alternative outlook.
Dita Southmoor
Our first ‘model’ (or as I will refer to them as a ‘free soul’) came to the Observer in response to our social media posting. If you are interested you can also apply and we pay a small amount for your time. Unlike most of the places here that want to photograph you, you choose what to wear, you don’t get touched and there’s no blackmail. Thought I should say that up front – Hathian is shit enough that it’s needed.
Anyway. Dita was a smoker. An inked smoker with a decidedly rebellious look cut sharply in a style that said anarchy, freedom and free choice. Dita introduced herself as a tattoo artist, three months into Hathian. She’s 27 years old and works in Empire Tattoo in Laveau and freelancing in Hathian when needed, including in the Poison Apple.
I asked her what her style meant to her:
“Honestly? I didn’t want to be on camera when I was younger.. Camera’s just another set of eyes and I spent most my life tryin’ to avoid those. But things change. As an artist I want to express myself and share it with the world”
Dita
We discussed lifestyle, she to her credit said it wasn’t just an aesthetic. It was life. Punk… Metal… Goth, she said she fitted in. It was where she had sellf, where she didn’t have rules and where smiles weren’t fake and shiny and plastic. Damage was armour and she wore her damage proudly. She says it is more than just the looks. I agree.
Daiyu: “I guess if your picture reaches people in Hathian and they stop and pause, what do you want them to take away, what impression and what…. reflection as they pause their routine?”
Dita: “I guess it ain’t about what they see but more ’bout what they feel. When someone looks at me I wanna ’em to feel somethin’. Maybe the rawness of bein’ alive in a world that don’t care or maybe the weight of havin’ to survive without givin’ in to all the things tryin’ to drag you down. Have passion for what you do since it’s the only thing that matters in the end.”
Dita is available for tattoo appointments (( Dita Southmoor (dita.southmoor) )) and I and the Observer want to thank her for being our first model.
As a reminder, are you thinking a bit different? Then reach out and be our next profiled Citizen. Or should I say free soul?
