Fashion is not always about following trends — sometimes it’s about creating them. And it’s always about being yourself.
From drag to androgyny, breaking societal norms and gender roles has always been a part of the fashion industry. But it wasn’t until recently that we started to see inclusiveness accepted and shown in the mainstream.
Miss Lawrence is breaking all the rules and blazing trails for fashion flexibility as a regular cast member of Fox’s hit show “Star” and a guest star on Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” where he plays the fashionable and gender fluid Miss Bruce.
“I don’t believe in following guidelines. I am gender fluid or gender non-conformist,” Miss Lawrence declared on the 2017 ESSENCE Festival Beauty & Style stage this past weekend. “It means [I] don’t adhere to the social norms of society.”
And he never has.
The television star and professional hairstylist says being himself has always been natural to him. He thanks his parents for that.
“I exude confidence because my parents made me feel OK with being myself. Of course, they had questions, but they never put me down.”
Ultimately, Miss Lawrence is grateful for the opportunity to be an inspiration to others in the LGBTQ community struggling with being themselves.
“Fashion flexibility and fashion fluidity are me. Being able to play Miss Bruce is very important to me,” says Lawrence. “It’s not about a job. it’s about a movement.”