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Chella Man redefining what it means to be a deaf, trans, Jewish and Asian | Hot Asian Guy Friday

Written by Maari Sugawara（Managing Editor） on

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Stunned to be featured and interviewed for @lofficielusa to kick off 2019! _ Between school and social work, Chella has carved out an artistic presence as well, most evidently captured in his drawings of anonymous, gender-defying bodies. His figures are biomorphic and otherworldly, accentuated with traces of love, longing, and perseverance—not unlike the experiences of any individual on a daily basis, including Chella himself. “People create labels to express themselves, but art takes us away from that terminology,” he explains. “We don’t need words or labels to describe ourselves with art. I’ve been making art since my memory existed. _ Full interview in my bio! Major thank you to the team for having me! It was a blast. _ Photography: @aingeruzorita  Styling: @julianshane  Hair: @carolyn_riley_hair Makeup: @tatidon Photo Director: @jenyrose

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He is deaf, genderqueer, transgender, Jewish, Asian, and hot as fuck. Not only is he open his identities, he owns them. That’s who Chella Man is and I want to put oil all over him (with his consent, of course).


The activist, model and social media star, Chella Man, is a 20-year-old artist based in Brooklyn. He sits at the intersection of multiple identities. With over 299,000 followers on Instagram and over 226,100 subscribers on YouTube, he is fiercely committed to giving voices to the marginalized communities through documenting his personal life, relationship with his gorgeous partner MaryV (@maryvbenoit), transition, and everyday joys and struggles. I, on the other hanるd, am open to having him do many other things to me in front of a camera. He is breaking down barriers and stereotypes through spreading awareness about being a marginalized individual without positioning his multiple identities as fetishized novelty.


He is the first deaf trans model to sign with IMG, a huge model agency in the industry. He is also repped by LGBTQ+ only agency New Pandemics and has appeared as a model for many brands, including Abercrombie & Fitch, GAP and many more.

He designed a radically inclusive collection for Opening Ceremony’s AW19 collection, which he describes as a “an open invitation to strive towards a future where all individuals can tell their own story, a privilege in our world today” and hired an all queer team in front of and behind the camera, finding wheelchair accessible locations, and ensuring all assets be captioned.

Each of these beautiful pieces he designed has his own written messages about his experiences as a Deaf individual to drawings he has created throughout his transition on testosterone. They “trace back to revelations connected to Man’s identity as a queer, disabled, person of color” and defies the limitations of who someone can look like and be.

He wants these pieces to provoke this question: “What constructs in your life must you unlearn to uphold inclusivity and respect for all?”

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SECRET’S OUT! I am utterly EUPHORIC to announce my collection with @OpeningCeremony today. My first collection is an open invitation to strive towards a future where all individuals can tell their own story, a privilege in our world today: Each piece traces back to revelations connected to Man’s identity as a queer, disabled, person of color. From written messages on the fabric about his experiences as a Deaf individual to drawings he has created throughout his transition on testosterone, the collection defies the limitations of who someone can look like and be. Allow these pieces to provoke this question: What constructs in your life must you unlearn to uphold inclusivity and respect for all? _ My goal was to make this collection as inclusive as possible. From hiring an all queer team in front of and behind the camera, finding wheelchair accessible locations, and ensuring all assets be captioned: There was much to consider for my very first collection, but I would not have it any other way. This is the mindset I believe all organizations should revolve around. On the line-up for the collection campaign are a series of my closest friends: Photographer: @quillemons Creative director: @maryvbenoit Models: @aaron___philip @alokvmenon @pfpicardi @adameli @kumari_seshasai @doctor.darien @yaknowme_hitomi @maryvbenoit Check out the link in my bio for the full interview with @dazed on the launch! And, stay tuned at @chellamanart for the release of all campaign photos / information on the models and collection! To my team full of friends and family, Opening Ceremony, and Carol Lim and Humberto Leon: Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all of the effort and love you have poured into this project. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you. This is a dream come true and only the beginning.

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Chella, who has never seen those identities reflected authentically on-screen or popular media, is steadily carving out a space for other intersectional individuals. He is joining the cast of DC’s comic series, Titans, for its second season as Jericho, a character who is also deaf.

“As a trans, Deaf, Jewish person of color, I have always reminded myself of the power in my differences. It is a dream come true, now, as I will be able to showcase this power on the Titans. “ he wrote in his IG caption.

“Jericho’s mysterious powers are activated by his gaze — if he locks eyes with people he can control their bodies,” and we sure as hell that he can with those eyes.

Now, let’s take a look at Chella inspiring people to take ASL classes.

Chella and MaryV proving that love still exists.


Faith in love: restored.

Chella proving masculinity doesn’t make the man.

Chella, not being afraid to share the processes of transition or show his vulnerability.

No shirt (and five layers of pants), no problem.

Chella, characteristically good looking as ever.

Chella Man’s Official YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa1vUXV2WMRobPo-ZfEeRhg

Official IG
https://www.instagram.com/chellaman/

Official Twitter
https://twitter.com/chellamanart

Maari Sugawara is an emerging artist who lives and works in Toronto. After two years of working as part of an artist management team in Tokyo, she moved to Toronto conduct research on diasporic communities and spaces. Maari is a photographer, translator, a research assistant at Ryerson University’s image arts program.