Vincent Beier is a 22-year-old danish man who works as a model, influencer and as a gender activist. Vincent talks about the word ‘’man’’ and what kind of effect and meaning it has for him personally. When he thinks of the word ‘’man’’, the first thing that comes to mind is ‘’toxic masculinity’’ For the 22-year-old model, there is a lot of negative thoughts combined the word ‘’man’’. Vincent Beier talks about a fear of men. A fear that he has had with men in general. But what does it mean to be man? Vincent Beier is born male, but dresses differently than most men. He likes getting dressed up in dresses, heels and top it off with makeup. As a model like Vincent, where the look is not like the usual when it comes to the more masculine look. Vincent often times get used as a feminine model – because of his more feminine features. Vincent is not a transgender; he is just a young man trying to confront the traditional gender perceptions that people might have.
He started in the fashion industry as a 16-year-old boy. He never knew that he wanted to be a model, he just knew from an early age, that he wanted to sew. Vincent used to sew clothes with his mother and that led him to modeling later on. Vincent has fought for the right to wear women’s garments, make-up and high heel for as long as he can remember. He started wearing women’s clothing from an early age and his fight for the right to wear that, has now become a political battle. Vincent says that people should not be afraid of being looked down on or beaten down, when going out, just because of the way they dress.
In June 2020 Alt.dk wrote an article about him, where he says that even though he shouldn’t have to fear getting beat up for the way he looks, he still feels that there is not enough inclusiveness towards people like him everywhere.
Vincent Beier has been through a lot of things like bullying, not being taken seriously and people having a lot of prejudices in his lifetime as a young man. Therefore, as an activist, he has been aware of the things that actually mattered for him by making boundaries in case of fashions brands, but also family which he does not have a close bond with anymore. He talks about how he has been more aware of things recently in case of fashion brands only wanting to collab in certain times like Pride Week.
When Vincent Beier was younger, he did not miss having someone to look up to or to seeing somebody being like himself. He didn’t miss that, because he did not know he was missing it.
Later on, in life when he got older, he was missing it and he wished he could just go on social media, find someone that reminded or at least looked like him. And just feel okay about himself knowing he was not alone. Maybe find people who were way ahead in the process of being okay in their body – whether if it was in a male of female body.
Vincent Beier is an introvert. when he describes himself, he describes shyness and sometimes insecurity. When it comes to modelling, his job takes a lot of nerve and as a model it often times makes him insecure, however, he has become aware that he must be more extroverted to perform and do his best at work. When he stands in front of the camera, everything else does not matter. He is felling himself, relaxing in another way, but at the same time it costs a lot of energy for him to be the way they want him to be on set. Anyhow he does it anyway, because he loves his job as a model.
People are often surprised when they meet Vincent Beier in real life. In a podcast he mentions that through social media, people have a perception of him before even meeting him in real life. Some of the perceptions that most people have, are that Vincent is a very loud and outspoken person, that he takes a lot of drugs and that he uses the nightlife a lot. These perceptions are all made up on what he posts on social media. Sometimes he likes to post wild pictures, pictures that are not the norm whatsoever, and in general pictures that challenges people opinions. Some of the post might be where he wears makeup, dresses up in heels and wears tight short dresses. Other posts are a bit more provocative, where he only wears a thong and where nudity plays a bigger part.
Vincent is very critical of what he puts his effort into, especially with the media, everything must be read through and he must be sure of the outcome before it leaks. He most often says no to journalists and collaborators, because he most times already knows the outcome beforehand.
In relation to partners who would like to offer a collaboration, where a company would like Vincent to advertise/ be the face for example for Queer people, he believes that it is very important that the company itself to know who they are and what they stand for before going out and wanting to represent any kind of individual or gender.
His critical attitude has been reinforced through the media. When Pride is coming up or when Pride is happening, companies often contact him, and for him that is just a red flag. Alarm bells are going off and it is not something he wants to be associated with. If a company cannot or will not support him for the rest of the year, he won’t say yes to a collab.
Vincent Beier has collaborated with Calvin Klein for a while and also during Pride. The company has been supporting him for a long time and therefore he also knows very well, that the company Calvin Klein is interested in all aspects of him as an individual. In addition, the company has a very inclusive approach to Queer people.
In 2015, DR made a short video starring Vincent Beier. In the interview Vincent says that he is glad to be male and like it this way. Even though he dresses up as a girl and has a very feminine look he loves to explore the feminine way of dressing up, it is something that makes him feel good about himself. He challenges the conventional gender patterns by dressing up in a feminine way. Vincent challenges one's prejudices and feels more at home in the LGBTQIA+ environment. He feels like there is not enough people who accepts the LQBTQ+ community and a lot of people has a hard time understanding that there is not just a he or she. It only takes a minute to get yourself educated on those areas he says. "I feel a much closer connection to transgender and nonbinaries (people who do not identify as a particular gender, ed.) And the whole movement of liberated gender identities that has come in recent years," he says. There for he wants to create a bigger diversity in the fashion industry.
By Agens Ocana
Source:
Podcast: Fries meets guys. Vincent Beier – jeg er nødt til at være mand på den måde jeg nu er.
(Beier, 2020)