Profile – Esse Magazine – Charmaine Goh – 2020

Championing Diversity And Inclusivity: Charmaine Poh
Photography by Charmaine Poh, assisted by Kee Ya Ting.
Hair and make-up by Suzana Salleh.

International Women’s Day is all about celebrating the role of women but also about campaigning for change and making that change happen. That’s why we’re taking this month to reflect on how we can make a positive impact as a brand. From extending this sentiment to our makers and empowering them through good working conditions and fair pay, to empowering customers through making strides towards more inclusive and representative imagery, we want to put our words into action.

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is Each for Equal, and is all about challenging stereotypes and broadening perceptions for a more inclusive and representative society. That’s why, we’ve decided to sit down with Charmaine to chat about her work and her thoughts on inclusivity and representation, particularly along the lines of femininity.

Charmaine is an internationally featured photographer and her work has been featured in the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, the Singapore International Photography Festival, Objectifs Centre for Photography and Filmmaking, The Taipei Arts Festival, The International Center of Photography, Photoville, WeTransfer, Channel News Asia, and The New York Times. In 2019, she was also recognised as one of Forbes Asia 30 under 30 – The Arts

Graduating from Tufts University with a B.A. in International Relations, and the Freie Universität Berlin with an M.A. in Visual and Media Anthropology, Charmaine’s image-making practice employs ethnographic methods, focusing on issues of memory, gender, youth, and solitude in the Asian context. Often working with portraiture, she considers the performance of self and the layers of identity we build

As an ardent follower, there have been a couple of Charmaine’s works like How She Loves  and All In Her Day’s Work, that has struck a chord with us. One of the things we touched on in our initial conversation was our approach to our work, and the intention to engage with the world in a thoughtful and more sustainable way. This conversation has inspired us to delve deeper into the imagery we’re creating and the stories we’re telling, and consider a more inclusive narrative. But for now, we share Charmaine’s story and musings. Read on. 

Championing Diversity And Inclusivity: Charmaine Poh
Photography by Charmaine Poh, assisted by Kee Ya Ting.
Hair and make-up by Suzana Salleh.