Rhyannon grew up as Ryan in a small village in England. “When I was a teenager, boys weren’t allowed to have long hair. But I always wanted to grow my hair long and I also wanted to wear girls’ clothes.” She felt trapped because of not being able to express herself and the femininity she had within. “I wasn’t particularly comfortable in a male presentation. Having a male body was OK, but I wasn’t comfortable about the demand to be a man.”

When Rhyannon was the little child called Ryan, she loved to dress up as a fairy. Suddenly she was herself. “It felt like, ‘Oh, I can be that girl, that fairy, if I want to.’ It was a sense of acceptance. I accepted myself.”

At this time, Rhyannon didn’t have any knowledge about what it was to be transgender or anything about transitioning. Transgender people were pretty much seen as outsiders – “They weren’t accepted in society, they were hidden away,” says Rhyannon. “They were sex workers or working at night clubs. They didn’t have another position.”

At the age of 18, Rhyannon moved to London. She describes this point in her life as a progression from being trapped in a cage to living with no boundaries: “Everything was possible. In my home town, gossip spread and everyone was watching each other. When I arrived in London, no one cared if I had blue or pink hair. It was very liberating.”

Rhyannon became a club kid, wearing crazy dresses, shaving off her eyebrows and hair. The atmosphere was a complete contrast compared with where she had come from. She was able to be anonymous in London, and the possibilities to do what she wanted were endless. “It was how I discovered my sexuality and my gender identity,” she says.

During her nights out, she saw more transgender women. “I realised they had done what I wanted to do,” she says. But it wasn’t until 2011, after watching a TV series called My Transsexual Summer, which documented the transitioning of trans people, that Rhyannon decided to take the next step. The show gave her a new perspective. “They were people my age, doing the same as me. I thought, ‘I have to do this.’”

Rhyannon had already realised she was transgender, but prior the TV show she had felt ashamed about it. “In my early years, I was told that it was wrong. In London I pretended I was a boy. I had a boyfriend and had relationships as a gay boy. But I finally accepted that it wasn’t making me happy.”

So she decided to transition and, in 2012, she started her hormone therapy. “It was scary telling my friends, because I wasn’t sure how they would react. But I also thought, ‘Thank God, now everyone knows. Now I can start the process and enjoy myself.’ I was moving forward.” She changed her name from Ryan to Rhyannon and a process of learning began: “I realised the world would act differently when I had become the person I wanted to be, when I was finally recognised as a girl. I knew I couldn’t behave as I did when I was Ryan.”

A lot has happened since. Rhyannon is now a writer for Elle magazine. In her column, The New Girl, she writes about her life as a transgender woman. Last year she published the book The New Girl: A Trans Girl Tells It Like It Is. Her writing is open and honest. “When I was growing up, transgenders wouldn’t be seen on TV. If they were, they’d be portrayed with a negative approach. Now, it’s very important for me to let people know that being transgender is OK and that I’m a normal person. It isn’t something to be ashamed of. It’s very important to raise awareness – that’s what encourages me.“

Rhyannon advises, “Believe in yourself and try not to let other people’s opinions about you stop you from being your actual self. Keep doing what feels good!” She smiles. No more words are needed.

rhyannonstyles.com

Team credits
Words by Ole Siebrecht
Photography by Jennifer Endom
Styling by Andrea Horn
Hair and make up by Julia Firefly

Fashion credits
All clothes from Lena´s Lovely Vintage, Berlin

Peaches is not just a singer. She is so much more than that: a musician, a producer, a filmmaker and a performance artist. She is the kind of artist who can simply enter a room and wow everyone inside. She instantly gets her audience’s attention and makes them think by using a simple tool – fun. “I think my music is fun. I think my ridiculous costumes are fun,” she explains. “I want people to enjoy the songs, dance to them, enjoy the spectacle. But when the lights are gone and the silence is there, then you actually start thinking about what you just saw and what you just sang along with.”
And Peaches’ lyrics are always to the point. “I chose this way to do it because I used to sing along with so many songs that were completely sexist,”

she says. “[I was] like, ‘Why am I singing along with this? This has nothing to do with me!’ So I have been presenting my world and my way and hopefully that’s helpful to people.” If you have ever experienced Peaches in her element on stage, you’ll know what she is talking about: dancers in bizarre, fetishistic costumes, vagina hats – even a huge inflatable dick. Peaches’ out-of-the-box performances are about showing resistance to the patriarchal system and she does it totally in her own way. “But I don’t wanna be preachy,” she says. “And I don’t wanna be angry. So I work in a way that brings people in – an inclusive way that celebrates.”
Peaches is devoted to creating concerts that are experiences for her audience. “You have to be devoted,” she says, firmly. “A lot of people ask me, ‘What advice do you have for young performers or musicians?’ It’s like, ‘Well, you better like what you’re doing, because you’re going to be doing it for a long time.’”

Peaches sees her presence as an artist as about more than making music, though. “Music is the core of making incredible art videos, making incredible performance art on stage, exhibition work beyond that. Music, for me, is definitely the core and the most important part, but it’s not the end… It’s just the beginning. It’s the jumping-off point!”
Her dedication to her performance is key to her success as a multitalented artist. “It’s over the top and it’s ridiculous, and it’s also political and it’s also a good time.” While some people have asked her to do less on stage – to take it a little slower, to calm down – she remains firm in her stance. “I can’t! This is how it is. I find it more exhausting if I don’t give it my all. Because [if I don’t], at the end, I have this empty, dissatisfied feeling.”
During her career, Peaches has been involved in lots of projects, including singing the title role in a production of Monteverdi’s opera L’Orfeo and touring with her one-woman performance-art show Peaches Christ Superstar. She chooses projects and collaborations that she feels are important – and if the defiant music she makes goes with them. “You know who I am! You know why you wanna use [my music]! You use it for a reason. I love that I established myself this way. You can’t use Dick in the Air for canned beans. It’s gonna make a statement if you use my music.”

Peaches makes statements with everything she does – every move she makes. She’s political and is more than happy to take on the patriarchal system. “People are full of fear and that’s what annoys me most. Fear of other people. Fear of something that’s not like them.” She aims to counteract this fear with the mayhem of her sound, lyrics and performances. “I want people to feel comfortable in their own bodies. That means everybody! I’m not just talking about queer people. Everybody needs to feel comfortable in their own body and that’s also the main reason why people have fear, or turn to power and greed,” she says. “It’s just something within them that’s not right, that they’re not dealing with. We’re all fucking insecure. All of us are!” But it’s important for Peaches to make clear that she isn’t fighting for sexual freedom – she’s celebrating it.
If music is just the jumping-off point for Peaches, we are excited to see where she ends up next.

Team Credits:
Words by Ole Siebrecht
Photography by Jennifer Endom
Styling by Nuria Gregori
Hair and make-up by Tony Lundström at Blossom
Hair and make-up assistant: Felix Conrad
Postproduction: Marius Wolfram

Fashion Credits;
#1 Cape by Nobi Talai, earrings by Xenia Bous
#2 Jacket by Acne Studios at COMME des COSTUMES
#3 Cape by Nobi Talai, trousers by Lena Voutta, earrings by Xenia Bous, belt by Urban Outfitters
#4 Cape by Nobi Talai 
#5 Jacket by Acne Studios at COMME des COSTUMES
#6 Jumpsuit by SAMSØE & SAMSØE, gloves stylist‘s own