Swedish make-up artist Maria Boman (23) is definitely a girl with some attitude. Before moving to Berlin from Luleå, Maria grew up with the hardcore scene in the north of Sweden, making vegan food for punk bands from all over the world. As a kid she had a fierce admiration for panpipe music. Today she works as a make-up artist for various projects, conscious about her duty to push feminist ideas within the beauty industry, whilst avoiding divisive radicalism.
"Maria Bomann", Lilly Häggbom, Ink on Paper, 2010. Make-up artist. What made you choose this profession?
I didn't, I just ended up here to be honest. As a teenager I was never really into make-up and beauty, but after graduating school at 19 I was in desperate need of a job and randomly ended up working as a make-up assistant, realizing I completely loved it! I never went to make up school, so I don't have a fancy diploma or anything.
I just learned the hard way through assistant work and internship.
I just learned the hard way through assistant work and internship.
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| PRÄSENZEN SS15 by Alexander Stanek, Photo: Dragan Simicevic |
As a make-up artist you deal with the surface of people. The industry goes with certain stereotypes and ideals of how to express beauty. How does your inner feminist react to that?
It's definitely a struggle. I work in a field which is representing so many things that I feel deeply against. But I am also convinced that awareness is the very first little step, and I tell myself that by staying in this field of work, I can change things. If I in the future will have more power to for instance choose a model who is not wearing size xs I of course will (no offence, nothing wrong with being skinny but you know what I mean). I always try to collaborate with intelligent and talented people who are aware of what message the industry is sending out.
What do you consider to be beautiful?
Wow that's such a hard question to answer. There are so many aspects to what makes something beautiful. More concrete when it comes to make-up, when working with a model, I am always "blinded" by their personality. It adds a lot to what I see in the end. As I get older I've noticed I've become more focused on small details, like a perfectly dewy highlighter can really turn me on.
What made you travel from Luleå all the way to Berlin?
Boredom, simply.
Did this city change your perspective of what is beautiful?
Living here has changed me a lot, wow, Berlin can be a real bitch. But it has made me grow so much, and surely my perspective on beauty has changed with me. Not sure if Berlins grey cityscape has been a direct influence though.
Which project would you like to be involved with?
Most people here want the ultra-natural style, and even if less is more makes sense a lot of times, I often wish I could do more creative looks. So something that lets the make-up play a bigger role. I would also love to do more film and theatre.
Interview: Victoria Trunova
Editing: James Hudson
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