Reece King is Instagram royalty. Currently taking the world by storm, we caught up with the bisexual model for a frank discussion on his sexuality, sudden social media fame and inclusivity in the fashion industry.
As bi-phobia runs rampant even within the queer community, Reece shares his positive affirmation on remaining true to yourself…
“I think the more confident I became with who I am, anything that I put my mind to, I was always my best self. I don’t know why, but I feel like in modelling and on social media, I know that when I’m just being myself, I’m always well respected.”
Bigotry can even find its way into more creative and commonly ‘queer’ sectors like the fashion industry. Reece himself was allegedly sacked from a high street brand after he appeared ‘too femme’. He says, however, that things are changing and that more and more queer people are choosing to be open and honest.
“I think a lot more creative LGBTQ people have taken the limelight, especially on social media. We see them on mood boards at shoots for inspiration. If people just keep doing their thing unapologetically, it breaks down the barriers in more homophobic environments.”
Image: Bartek Szmigulski for Gay Times
Related: Meet Reece King: the hunky model who takes the perfect selfie
Reece has amassed a huge social media following, one that has persisted in asking him about his sexuality no matter what he posted. While he enjoys his insta-fame, he also notes the negatives associated with having so many people invested in your life.
“When you’re posting something that you want to be the best, you want to see what the reception is. It can mess you up a little bit, headspace wise! It’s never good to have bad things said about you, you wouldn’t want it in the street, walking around, so you wouldn’t want it out there.”
“I realised that whatever I said, it became a distraction. Anything I did or posted online, people would just ask about who I’m interested in, so I just built up this defence of saying ‘that’s not important’ But I guess it’s stuck with me because it really isn’t important, so now I just say ‘yeah, I am bisexual’.”
To read the full interview and see all images, get your copy of our February issue at gaytimes.co.uk/buy now!
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