British Vogue has announced the launch of its first-ever podcast series entitled Appearances, hosted by Academy Award winner and contributing editor Steve McQueen. In each weekly episode Steve and a guest will explore how their appearance has affected their life and how they perceive themselves. The format of a podcast was essential for this project as it bypasses the visual and focuses on description and memory.

Episodes include conversations with Adwoa Aboah, Daniel Kaluuya, Gwendoline Christie and Karen Elson. The podcast launches on 6 August and will be available weekly on vogue.co.uk and on iTunes.

Contributing editor Steve McQueen commented, “This project has been bubbling in my mind for a number of years. I wanted to talk to people about the way they look and how that has impacted their lives. How do they perceive themselves? How did they become aware of their beauty? How do they use their appearance professionally and privately? I was interested in how one’s looks affect one’s life. How one falls in love, how one is employed or how one is discriminated against. How simply being attractive in certain people’s eyes can lead to wealth and fortune, by having one’s eyes, nose, lips and cheeks in a certain position, by being of a certain height, weight and “race”. The idea of people talking about their appearance was, for me, fascinating. To know one’s face is like studying a painting, especially as you are the only one who can’t see yourself. You need mirrors and pictures and other people to make you aware of your looks. How does that translate back into one’s sense of self? For this intimate project it was essential to bypass the visual and that’s why I liked the format of a podcast, which more than any medium is about description, memory and, at times, a leap of faith.”

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