Welsh, fat and working-class is my superpower, says photographer

The world of fashion is often criticised for elitism and an obsession with thinness, but photographer and model Megan Winstone says being Welsh, fat and working-class has turned out to be an asset in her career.

Over the past few years the 30-year-old has taken photographs for publications including Vogue and brands such as Dr. Martens, and had her work purchased by National Museum Wales.

“I feel people feel more comfortable with me maybe because I’m fat… or maybe it’s my working-classness or my Welshness,” she said.

“I take away the ego, like I humble them maybe.”

Growing up in the small south Wales valleys town of Abercynon, teachers told her she would not amount to much.

“I’ve got little to no GCSEs, I’ve got autism, I’ve got a speech and language disorder as well,” she said.

Photography was a way of expressing herself.

She was given a Polaroid camera when she was seven or eight and instantly began taking photos of her friends, family and neighbours.

“I was like, ‘I’m not going to do nature, I’m not going to do landscape photography, I’m going to go straight into communities and photograph the wildest people ever’,” she said.

“I really want authentic people in my work… people who usually don’t get a voice.”

Megan began building a body of work, drawing on punk culture, her valleys upbringing and pushing back against societal expectations of body image.

Being accepted to Arts University Bournemouth purely on the strength of her portfolio was “a major moment” for her, but despite the change of scene her work continually returned to the south Wales valleys.

“It’s tight-knit, you know everyone’s gossip, everyone’s lineage as well and there’s a comfort to it,” she said.

“You can just walk into people’s houses, doors are unlocked most of the time… there’s no initial barrier to conversation, like that politeness, it’s straight in there.”

In 2019, working alongside other Welsh talent – fashion stylist and creative director Charlotte Wilcock and writer and editor of Polyester magazine Gina Tonic, who is from nearby Mountain Ash, she created her Lily of the Valley project.

“It was sort of a love letter to the valleys,” she said.

“A ‘we’re all gorgeous here’.”

She said the intention had been to “shake it up” with a “faded glamour, working-class visual”.

“We approached designers and local make-up artists and got assistants and then we just stormed Abercynon, just shot in my gran’s bedroom, our garden, down the gully, on top of the mountain and then when lunchtime came around we stormed into my local chippy,” she said.

Two of the resulting images for this project have been purchased by National Museum Wales.

“This was my first big cover and my first ‘in’ with the fashion crowd,” said Megan.

“Amelia is just a superstar. It was amazing and changed my career, I loved it.”

A profile on Dua Saleh from Netflix series Sex Education, photographed at Caerleon Roman Amphitheatre wearing Prada for Face magazine was another highlight.

“That was incredible, I loved that shoot,” she said.

“Being a little goth emo, Kerrang! ruled my world from age 10 onwards… my ultimate career ambition was to shoot for Kerrang!,” said Megan.

It finally happened in January when she photographed American rock band Sleater-Kinney and Brighton-based duo Lambrini Girls for the magazine’s cover.

She said her work in music had “snowballed” since then and she has been working with Atlantic Records, most recently photographing Welsh rock musician and rising star Hannah Grae from Port Talbot.

She said the industry was improving in terms of celebrating diverse bodies and backgrounds and attributed part of her success in modelling and photography to being “in the right place at the right time”.

“It’s incredible to outlive my teacher’s expectations of ‘you won’t amount to much’ – I’ve now been in rooms with Suzi Quatro and rock stars,” said Megan.

“I’ve achieved lots but I’m still climbing and trying to propel myself.

“It feels kind of like a dream.”