Sixteen Journal
Bobbi Menuez
May 2026
Sixteen Journal leans into a raw, multifaceted visual narrative with their latest feature on Bobbi Menuez, transcending the boundaries of traditional media to deliver a poignant exploration of identity and space. Through the lens of photographer Michael Bailey Gates, this editorial series employs a masterful blend of cinematic storytelling and stark, analogue film techniques to capture a subject who is as enigmatic as they are expressive. The project oscillates between the theatrical and the intimate, shifting from surreal, leopard-print-clad compositions that prioritize high-contrast graphic tension to quiet, documentary-style portraits set against the gritty, industrial backdrop of concrete bridges and unadorned walls. Fashion Editor and Stylist Shawn Lakin curates an aesthetic that feels both playful and profoundly grounded, using textures like fishnet, leather, and layered tissue paper to create a visual lexicon that is distinctly modern. Throughout the series, the lighting ranges from harsh, direct flash to soft, diffused natural light, emphasizing the raw surfaces of the environments and the focused, unflinching gaze of Menuez. By balancing high-art portraiture with spontaneous, lifestyle-inflected frames, the team—under the guidance of Editor-in-Chief Xavier Encinas—has crafted a feature that feels less like a static fashion spread and more like an immersive fine art experience. It is a striking testament to the power of editorial collaboration, where the wardrobe and setting function as active, symbolic participants in a larger, evolving narrative.
Editorial, Vertical
Natural light
Magazines, Media & Entertainment
