Quintessential dandy Janelle Monáe is featured on the cover of this month’s DIVA magazine. While some folks questioned dapperQ’s decision to include her on our 100 most stylish list, Monáe’s fearless and impeccable execution of her own personal menswear inspired style in the face social and cultural pressures to conform is a shining example of dapperQ’s vision of staying true to oneself.
Another reason why she earned her spot on our list: She is an outspoken ally to the queer community, as evinced in her interview with DIVA:
DIVA: You mentioned queer communities in a recent Billboard interview, which felt very validating for your queer fans. Is queer a label you feel comfortable affiliating yourself with? Would you define yourself as queer?
JM: “I think we are all… um… part of each other and when someone from the queer community is discriminated against, or not treated like a human being, it bothers me. As a woman, a black woman, there are parallels to that. I mean, my community, being an African-American, we’ve had to deal with slavery, Jim Crow laws – my ancestors all dealt with that. So I connect all the dots, between the ex-communicated, the untouchables, the immigrants and the negroids. As different as we may look or feel, we are all connected. So I guess that we do feel connected to the queer community, and as an artist I should speak out against things that are evil. To me, treating someone as if they are less than you is an evil act. It’s my job to use my platform to speak out against it.”
The full interview is available in DIVA, on newsstands now. DIVA is also available to download now from www.divadigital.co.uk and on the Zinio app.
