麻豆社

As a model, Naomi has called for greater representation of both size and ethnicity in the fashion industry, challenging the narrow beauty standards of sample size clothing and rinse and repeat casting.

However, through her conversation with Sinéad Burke in episode four, her mind was expanded even further with the reminder that for some disabled people, everyday items of clothing can come with various obstacles.

“As non-disabled cis woman, I’ve never needed to find other options; I can just go to a store and buy something,” Naomi says. “That’s a privilege. I learned how much I’ve taken that for granted.”

In their conversation, Naomi learned of a resource called Open Style Lab, a non-profit organisation that designs and produces adaptive clothing and products, with and for people with disabilities - and it reinforced the importance of clothes designed with specific users in mind.

“When you have an unlimited number of options at any time, you don’t take care of your clothes as much! When every piece you wear is specifically made for you, it has so much more value - emotionally, and physically. This is a really good example of fusing of fashion and design, and rethinking what wearability is.”

Self-care has been something of a buzz-phrase over the past few years, with countless brands claiming to provide the ultimate range of items to best treat yourself.

However, by listening to the responses of some of her guests such as stylist and Queer Eye star Tan France, (episode 2),Naomi was reminded that self-care is beauty in itself - and it’s simple, too.

“During the pandemic, I have nothing else to do other than trying to take care of myself!” she says. “But I’ve also learned what happens when you don’t: I’ve had two bad injuries in the last year and it’s forced me to stop.

“This is what happens when you don’t listen to your body - it’ll force you to listen. Whether it’s people going through huge mental health issues right now, or what’s happening to our bodies now that we’re not moving them as much.

“It’s a reminder of how much our bodies are these vessels that we need to take care of, and not necessarily in terms of buying a whole load of things. It’s taking a bath, getting enough sleep, checking in with friends - these are things we need at our core and shouldn’t be something that is commoditised.”

As irresistible as it is to many, social media often gets a bad rap, but plenty of her guests have used it for good! Deba Hekmat, a model who embraces her body hair and rejects traditional Western beauty standards, is a guest on the eighth episode and spoke with Naomi about how she uses social media to put Kurdish beauty on the map.

“It’s cool to hear young Kurdish people speak; we need to give them more space. Deba came to the UK as a refugee - we don’t often let people have the chance to speak openly on the that experience.

“So many people can relate to being a child of immigrants and fighting to discover your own value system in a new place - sometimes it’s at odds with that of your parents and their expectations. There is so much that people can take from that story.”

Other guests such as model and activist Ebonee Davis (episode 1 one) and Kadeeja Khan (episode 7) also have Naomi’s admiration for their dedication to using their platforms to spread important messages - from matters of racial equality to normalising acne.

“All the people I think most highly of are teaching us in some way,” Naomi explains. “They do it through social media, providing accessible information that makes the world a better place and deeply connects us to ourselves and each other. They’re the best of the internet to me.”

At 80 years old, Zandra Rhodes (episode 10) is the most experienced of guests on Beauty Fix - and Naomi found that with age came some incredible wisdom on appearance.

“She told me that surgeries and fillers don’t make you look younger. It just turns you into something else - and it’s so true! Zandra is a living antidote to that: she looks like her, and she looks amazing. You wouldn’t think she was 80!

“Age is about expression and how you present yourself, at any age. There are young people who seem much older, and vice versa - it’s a spirit thing.”

Though the fashion industry has been her home for most of her life, Naomi admits that the more she’s learned over the years, the harder it can be to stand by some of the less-positive aspects of being involved in the job.

“As I’ve become more aware of how things are it has eaten away at me because I understand my complicity in the system,” she explains. “Someone who makes the thing I wear in a photograph might get paid two cents a day, while I’d get something completely different. Why is my life more valued?”

However, through discussions she’s had with her guests over the past few months, she’s heard of the many ways that her peers who share the same concerns use their position in the world of fashion to contribute to making it a fairer place.

“That’s why ignorance can be blissful - because now that you know, you might think, ‘Where should I start?’ Seeing people like Sinéad [Burke] working gives me comfort because knowing how unfair the business can be doesn’t stop her from operating in it. All of these issues are so big that they can feel paralysing. Sinéad taught me that every little thing matters; every contribution to making change counts.”

With the majority of the conversations for the podcast taking place over voice calls most guests were speaking from their own homes. It’s a change from how things would usually take place, in neutral recording studios – so people were even more relaxed than usual.

“No-one’s wearing make-up! There’s a collective atmosphere that this creates, being comfortable at home - the facades are down. No-one is playing. And because there’s no performance of beauty, it also changed what people wanted to talk to us about.”

Given that this is a podcast, the entire medium relies on voice! While that may seem like an ironic choice for conversations about beauty, Naomi believes it’s a perfectly fitting format.

“You hear the beauty in their voice. I think that’s an interesting spin - it gives a challenge to all of us to rethink our assumptions about beauty, and what it really means.

“You can hear people’s spirit and their character, which is borne out of their experience and their yearning to survive - and also, their yearning to make a difference in the world. It affirmed what I already felt very strongly about.”

Beauty Fix with Naomi Shimada is available on 麻豆社 Sounds - new episodes released every Friday.