Fräulein Talents: Penelope Medioun

The pink hair was the beginning of the real expression of my style, and the blue hair feels like a real turning point in the evolution of my style. The blue hair is more like evidence, there was no specific inspiration behind the idea. Blue is the color of my soul, to the point where I think nothing will come after that. Maybe when I become a real adult, I’ll go blonde. But for now, I’m too Gen Z and too 21.

Of course, they reflect different eras of my life, and since I’m young, I evolve very fast. But I think I would act the same if I had dark hair instead of blue hair, for example. Because I wear the blue hair, the blue hair doesn’t wear me.

I would say both work together. My image is based on my life and on everything I’ve been through.

There is a lot of determinism in that, and I grow with the people around me and with the situations Iface. So I actively build my identity, but in the most natural way possible. I respect myself and I get to know myself more and more every day. I never try to pretend to be someone else. I think that in order to express an identity as accurately as possible on social media, it’s important to know yourself and to never betray who you really are.

Mainly by watching films. Before, I used to look at the girl next door and compare myself to her. You should never do that. You shouldn’t take inspiration from other people’s identities, but from the things around you like films, music, fashion, things that are a little more detached and don’t push you to compare yourself. I would describe my aesthetic as alternative, Gen Z, striking, young, free, and blue.

I try to be my true self as much as possible, no matter the context. That way I never betray myself and I can fully own who I am, even my small weaknesses. When I meet people who know me from social media, they often think I’m extroverted and very confident, but in reality, I´m very introverted, discreet, and dreamy. I try to show that part of myself on social media, but it can be complicated, especially on TikTok, where the algorithm is made for spontaneity and efficiency. I’m trying to find a balance between what works on social media and who I really am. That’s why I feel like Instagram gives me more space to show my creativity and my dreamy side.

As I said, I’m quite dreamy, discreet, and introverted, and I wish people could see that more. I want to show that a girl like me can feel comfortable on social media, and hopefully give confidence to other girls like me.

It was so much fun to do this with Luca. Luca has been my friend for a long time, and he is a photographer before being a DJ. We work really well together in photography, so it made sense to do a DJ set together. It was planned a bit last-minute by our agency, JUDE MGMT. I had recently really wanted to try DJing, so it was the best opportunity for a first time. I really want to do it again, but my only motivation is fun. I love dancing in the club, and the only thing that can make a party really great to me is the music. So I want to share my vibe with other people and find people who love the same songs as me.

It feels good to perform live and break the barrier of the virtual world. I create content to reach people in real life, so being able to perform directly in front of them feels like the logical final step. There is naturally a lot more transparency and authenticity on stage.

I want people to completely let go — all of them. I’m an introverted person, but when I have fun with music, that disappears completely. So I want the same thing for others, whether they are shy, introverted, talkative, or dancers.

When I started working with the people I had always dreamed of working with.

The more I am myself and the more people love my authenticity and sincerity, the more confident I become in real life.

I have a group of friends I’ve known for between 4 and 10 years, and they are the ones who have supported me the most. We are eight very different girls with different life paths, and it is so important to have them in my life and to mix our strengths and weaknesses in order to help each other. They have supported me through doubts, sadness, and joyful moments. They love my personality and encourage me to reveal it on social media, because that’s the reason they love me.

Omg, this question is where all my motivation comes from. Every time I lose motivation or hope for the future, I always tell myself: “Think about younger you.”

When I was younger, honestly, all I wanted was to look like the pop stars on TV, to be cool, free, well-dressed, to entertain, and to be visible. I don’t know why, and maybe it’s not the best thing for a kid to think that way. However, right now, little me would be so proud and happy that I’m making it work in the best way, with lots of love from friends, family, my work team, and my love life. She couldn’t even imagine all the good things that are happening to her. She didn’t have a lot of hope growing up in a family with different values, like: “Go to school, get a diploma, and find a job because life is expensive.” It took me a lot of time to disconnect myself from that mindset and to be confident that what I’m doing is going to work, even if I don’t follow the classic, more traditional path.