Morena Magic PART I
Morena Magic represents a vivid, colorful, and popular Mexico in her art, fashion, and writing.
PART I: Morena Magic’s Popular Mexican Art
During her childhood and adolescence, Diana Young – better known as a Morena Magic – was always surrounded by fashion magazines, music videos, and clothes. She’d spend a lot of time immersed consuming these different types of art. She’d also read whatever random books her parents bought and would get lost in that world, even if she did not understand really well what she was reading.
That constant love for literature then transformed into an innate passion for writing. What started as a simple hobby then took the form of many diaries where Magic felt liberated by writing what was happening to her. It became her safe space where she could freely express what she was feeling. This newly-found passion merged with the artistic influence of her older brother.
“He also liked fashion. When we were children, we saw music videos on MTV. He collected fashion magazines. So, since it was a time in which the Internet did not exist yet, our hobby was reading magazines,” Magic said. “I learned a lot about designers, colors, and fashion in general.”
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As they grew up, her brother had the idea of selling vintage clothes in Aguascalientes, Mexico during times in which it was not a trend yet. Second-hand clothing was not a concept yet. So, they went to the tianguis and markets to purchase pieces for themselves. They’d go on a quest to see what clothes stood out and started selling them. They’d also make their own photo sessions at home.
Magic recalled it was something really natural because it was a hobby. They didn’t follow any specific technique or rules. It came from a genuine and authentic place.
“We lived in a very marginalized neighborhood and we didn’t have any access to a great camera or photography classes. It was just natural and a very self-taught process,” Magic said. “I feel my brother has also influenced me a lot.”
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Magic grew up in the neighborhood of Ojo Caliente 4, which is located on the eastern side of the city. It’s near the neighborhoods of Rodolfo Landeros, Pericos, and El Riego, which are on the outskirts of the city. Magic mentioned that in the year 2000, when she was just a little girl, it was a dangerous neighborhood. One of the most dangerous and marginalized ones. The streets were not paved and it was quite far from the city.
It was a place that lacked opportunities and violence, discrimination, and poverty were the norm there. Art was not an option because of the circumstances.
“I even think that for the children of many barrios it’s not even an option. They’re careers and dreams that people from there don’t even dream of. There are other priorities. They’re getting the money to eat. To survive. Working a lot and there was not much of it around me,” Magic said.
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Even though she was not surrounded by “formal” arts, spending time with her brother influenced her deeply. Getting immersed in her magazines and writing all the time also had a strong impact on her. She lived in her own world or “bubble” where the arts held an important role in her life.
That’s how the Mexican multidisciplinary artist started on a self-taught artistic path. It was simply because she was really drawn to it. Since a very young age, she understood that the arts could work as a tool to help others and give a voice to those who are silenced in marginalized communities.
She understood their power and how they could speak louder about injustices. Magic had a clear understanding that she could talk about the social issues she cares about through them. After getting a better grasp of these ideals, she decided to study visual arts at the Universidad de las Artes in Aguascalientes.
“I did not finish the degree because I felt a bit limited there and I wanted to explore more areas like fashion or keep writing,” Magic said.
She then merged her self-taught methodologies with what she learned during her time in college. While attending school, she noticed that studying and being surrounded by other artists, opened her mind with how she tackles her projects. It allowed her to explore ideas that she maybe had not thought of and it also enforced the confidence of knowing that she can live off of art. That she can make it her life and her work.
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Social Media as Experimental Art
So, she continued with a very clear idea of what she wanted out of life and art. She trusted her instincts and kept doing what she knew worked in her adolescence. Magic continued creating freely and started using her social media as an artistic experimental tool.
“You don’t have a guideline and I try to do it my way. I like working alone because I enjoy exploring whatever I want to do. You have that creative freedom and it’s important in this age of social media,” Magic said. “Your social media is now your cover letter. It’s like your portfolio.”
With that creative freedom, Magic defines any art as a vital discipline for human beings. Creating makes her feel alive and most importantly, it’s the closest thing there is to freedom. It’s the moment in which she’s with herself exploring. It’s her day-to-day motivation that allows her to create at a distance from her responsibilities and adult life.
It’s simply the most valuable thing she has where fashion and writing act as a method of expression. In the past, she even saw it as something that was very far away from her possibilities, creating a certain difficulty with seeing herself as an artist. Feeling like it was not part of her everyday life.
But that did not matter to her because she knew she had to express all of the magic within herself and make it into popular Mexican art. She found in fashion a language that comes by default to each one of us. Everyone wears clothes every day and our outfits unconsciously communicate who we are.
“It’s a reflection of my story. Of my everyday life. Of what I live here in my country. I really love representing Mexico or what I conceive as Mexico. What I’ve lived because I feel it’s a country full of life. There are a lot of colors and many textures,” Magic said. “It’s a very lively country and I like taking it to my aesthetic.”
For a long time, she’s felt fashion is very European and white. She also feels that Latin America is a region that’s riquísima en cultura and she needs to always show that in her aesthetic. It’s something that she loves and that inspires her.
That’s why she goes strong on the colors, the religious symbols and the sports’ jerseys in her fashion. These are key elements from Mexican popular culture that shape her art, but there’s also another important factor: music. It also inspires the way she dresses and the pieces she sells.
Her clothes seek to connect people through their lived experiences, whether that’s being from Mexico or another Latin American country. She wants people to feel what it’s like to be Mexican, Chicano or Latin American and that way she doesn’t limit herself to a particular style. She creates this intervened fashion based on what she’s feeling and what draws her attention to a piece while being true to herself.
The Magic in Being Morena
That’s in part why she also named herself Morena Magic. A name that was inspired in what she lived as a child.
“In Mexico there’s a lot of discrimination for your skin color and race. When I was a child and went to school, I did not like to be called those adjectives like morena, prieta, or negra. I felt they were an insult,” Magic said. “When you’re a child, you don’t understand many things and it was a way of re-signifying that.”
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It was a way for Magic to give those adjectives another meaning. Like being proud of who she is and where she comes from. She wanted to give her social media character a name that was both in Spanish and English.
And by creating this idea of Morena Magic, she unconsciously started generating a whole concept around it. She began shaping an entire universe around it where she’d show all of the nuances of her personality. That might sound simple, but it’s not.
This required her to constantly film her day-to-day, which includes visiting the tianguis and markets in search of the clothes. It’s also about showing people how proud she is of her roots and celebrating who she is. Not wanting to aspire for a European and white life. Really diving deep into her identity and showcasing it through the vibrant Mexican popular culture that resides in the barrios she moves through.
It’s about the folklore. The popular culture of Mexico. The symbols that represent Mexico and Latin America. The vibrant colors, styles, and textures that transport us to these wonderful places. But it’s also about the morena magic she creates with her bare hands and poetic thoughts.
It’s about connecting with herself and others on a deeper human level in the form of short-form videos that narrate poetically her reality.
“I’d film shots at the tianguis and the barrio. I’d combine that with my poetry or narrative and it stared having a lot of views. I started connecting with a lot of people from other countries. There were a lot of messages from people who migrated from their countries and they’d tell me that my videos reminded them of where they grew up,” Magic said.
With her poetic videos, she started noticing the power of her magic. The power of creating art that resonates with others and that’s relatable. You can feel that magic in every one of her pieces in whatever artistic discipline she decides to explore and experiment with.
The Colorful Clown Photo Session
You can actually notice that magic in one of her collaborations with the Mexican photographer Livier Miroslava. The clown photo session that changed everything for both Magic and Miroslava.
They’ve known each other for a long time now. Magic always knew her as the girl who takes photos. The photographer who’s extremely passionate and dedicated to her craft.
They started talking about their love for clowns and the aesthetic around it. And about two or three years ago during Halloween, Magic was asked by her son’s kindergarten to dress him up. She chose the costume of a clown and then did his fabulous makeup.
She uploaded a few photos of him on social media and everyone loved him and her makeup art. So, the following year her son and her participated in a school contest dressed up as clowns. Once again, she did the makeup for him and included herself in the fun process.
“We won the contest and Livier saw the photos where I appeared with my son. She said: we should do a clown session. We had already talked about loving the clowns and that was how the idea was born,” Magic said. “She gave me a lot of creative freedom with painting myself as a clown and doing whatever I wanted.”
Having that creative freedom became a source of great experimentation for Magic. At that moment, she started thinking about including her love for Mexico, markets, pastel colors, and football jerseys.
Magic created the outfit in a day. She braided her hair, got the makeup done, and once Miroslava came to her home, they went out for a walk searching of the best spot to do the photos. They went to the Mercado Terán surrounded by colorful flowers and tacos.
Once they shared the photos on social media, they went viral. The positive response to their collaborative art was impressive. Magic believes there were various reasons to why this happened. First off, they’re images done with a very genuine intention. They easily transmit the Mexican essence and authenticity without much effort.
Second, these photos come from a very honest place. They don’t attempt to pretend something they’re not and they simply use colors as their main source of identity and vibrance. When Magic did her makeup, she wanted to work with a very classical clown aesthetic using basic colors like red, white, yellow, and blue.
“I had already practiced with the makeup because I had done it to my son and myself. That was like the third time I did it and it was not difficult. It took me about thirty or forty minutes to do,” Magic said.
The technique she learned that works best with that type of makeup style is using the products in cream and then seal them on top with shadows. That’s how she achieved such vibrant and intense colors. That’s why when you see the photos, you can’t look away from her face. They’re vivid tones and the facial expressions draw you in.
Now, regarding the outfit matching the bright makeup, the process was a bit different. She chose a green vintage Mexican football jersey with the iconic Aztec Sun, which is another very important cultural symbol in Mexico. This particular piece was chosen to represent her country even more and she paired it with a white skirt, pink cowboy boots, and pink gloves.
Morena Magic dressed up as a clown with strong Mexican identity at the Mercado Terán in Aguascalientes, Mexico. | Photos courtesy of Livier Miroslava. | Impulsiva Stories
The pink boots also represent her country because of the culture in reference to the ranchos and they were also done with nopal skin. The gloves were a birthday gift from her brother-in-law, who also crafts clothes.
“It was not really thought out. I’m explaining it in detail now, but in the moment, it was like: I always get my hair braided. I use ribbons and moños. So, I’m going to do that with the makeup that Livier liked,” Magic said. “I’ll wear a jersey and boots that match the ribbons.”
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It was a collaboration between two friends who went out together one afternoon to do some photos about clowns at the mercado. They spent the session laughing together, echando chismecito, talking, and eating ice cream. It was a very casual setting, but the massive positive response they received is something that Magic is very proud of.
It’s the result of a longtime passion, effort, and continuous collaboration between Miroslava and Magic. It’s also a sign that Latin American art, culture, and identity are disruptive and connect deeply with others on a broader level. It means that even though Latin American people face many difficulties and challenges, nothing can stop them from showcasing their amazing culture to the world.
It’s also a multidisciplinary art that opened many doors for both Miroslava and Magic because of their marvelous artistic power. It’s a source of pride and nostalgia for Magic because of how far she’s come with her Mexican popular art.
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“I’m very proud. I feel nostalgic because I look back in my story and think: wow, the thirteen-year-old girl that looked at magazines is now on a magazine [cover]. The girl who always saw that fashion world very away and so fantastic,” Magic said. “I’m now seeing it and I’m very proud. I’m very happy.”
To learn more about Morena Magic’s Mexican popular art, you can follow her on Instagram at @morena_magic. Stay tuned next week for PART II, where we’ll explore Magic’s Mexican art with vibrant Latin American identity.
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