Vocal & Visual Artist
Meet Akeida Alexander
Akeida Alexander (She/Her) is a first-generation Caribbean-Canadian undergraduate student majoring in Business Administration at the University of Guelph-Humber working towards a career in the marketing sector. Akeida is a trained vocal artist who enjoys creating covers out of her favourite songs. She is also a self-taught visual artist who enjoys creating realistic art pieces. She was heavily influenced by a variety of genres of music while growing up, including reggae, soca, and R&B.
The music of Usher, Ariana Grande and Beyonce...
... among her greatest musical influences. Singing and creating art is something that brings me peace and gives me an outlet to express myself. She is presently working with Flaunt It to highlight the struggles that are faced by women of colour in their community as well as all over the world. She hopes to compose and perform her own music one day and begin a record label that will showcase other talented artists in her community.
Akeida also hopes to one day be able to create her own affordable beauty line in the near future. She wants to be able to show young girls in her community and all over the world that they can achieve their dreams no matter their circumstances.
"Love The Skin You're In"
Music Video & Portrait Photography [Coming Soon] - Artist Statement
The theme for my campaign is called Love The Skin You're In. This campaign was chosen to add a visual to what skin “imperfections” and blemishes look like in the real world. I believe that magazine campaigns rarely portray the struggles young women face when it comes to their skin and how it looks, which is why I wanted to portray this in my campaign. Since I was a teenager, I have felt insecure about the way my skin looks and in turn, it has affected my confidence considerably. My goal with this campaign is to show young girls that all of the things that social media considers to be “impurities and imperfections” are normal and shouldn't be viewed as a source of insecurity. On social media, young minds are taught that they need to fit a certain beauty standard to be accepted into society and to be considered beautiful, but I seek to change that narrative through this campaign.
As a way to illustrate this idea, I want to create a music video in which I perform a song called "Pretty Hurts" by Beyonce, which compares the struggles women face trying to meet criticism and societal beauty standards imposed onto them. The intention of my video is to share the stories of individuals who struggle with their sense of self-worth; who must deal with these struggles to fit in and feel secure. The video will highlight these struggles and how social media has played a huge role in these struggles. With its lyrics that explore controversial topics such as criticizing the world's obsession with beauty standards and the way it puts pressure on women to fit into the beauty standard, "Pretty Hurts" is the perfect song for a campaign focused on fighting the standard. The song connects the viewer to the emotions women of colour experience when thinking about their skin's natural state and potential impurities. With the song, I want to embody the emotions of the models and convey a story that would resonate with the audience. Ultimately, I would like my audience to take away from this campaign the idea of being happy with themselves and loving the skin they are in because many people will see the skin they are in for the rest of their lives.