Page 191 - Flaunt 175 - Diana

champion of equality, and has energy that lights up the room.” Part of the work Reid is hoping to do with the brand surrounds mental health in young people, especially relating to self-care when it comes to perceptions of themselves through social media. “Mental health is very important, and it’s something
we need to talk about more, especially within young people,” Storm says determinedly. “I feel like a lot of young people
don’t know how to deal with it, or they’re ashamed to address the things that they’re feeling inside. It shouldn’t be like that. Everyone, especially young people, should have the opportunity and comfortability to voice their opinion about how they’re feeling inside, and what’s going on in their head. We do live in the world of social media, so that’s hard and that affects mental health a lot.”
Reid continues: “There’s the conversation about ethical technology... and how to use your time wisely on social media, and really knowing how to express yourself, but through self- care, really learn
self-love, which will
affect young people’s
mental health so
much.To just be
having the base
conversation of what
mental health is,
and how to improve
mental health, is
something that’s
really important to
me.To be able to do
that through some
projects, but also
through Maybelline,
is a real feeling,
because not only
am I the Global
Spokesperson for
this major brand,
I’m a part of a brand
that cares about the
world, its consumers,
and young people.”
Such values
cross over too with a
production company
Reid has founded
with her mother,
A Seed & Wings.
A description of
the company says
its ambitions are
“rooted in narratives that forge multicultural conversations, entertain, educate, and uplift” with a “desire...to create authentic storytelling that is impactful, honest, and reflects the perspectives of all people.” Reid’s delight in the project is palpable as she feels she’s planting the seeds now to help bring a multitude of new voices to our screens in the future.
“A Seed & Wings was created by me and my mom,”
Reid smiles proudly. “It was really a way to not only create opportunities for ourselves, but give people opportunities as well. I always say, ‘Miss Ava took a risk on me, so why not take risks on others?’ At a macro level, being able to tell stories that are representative, multicultural, and multi-faceted, but to also show the joys of the Black experience, not always the traumas... To be able to bring in a young person of color, or a seasoned writer that is of a total different ethnic descent, there’s really no bounds with A Seed & Wings. I feel like, if you can do the job, and you’re a good human, and you have a good heart, then we want you to be a part of the team, to create something that will change someone’s life, potentially, by watching it.”
Reid is working on a dizzying number of projects right now. As well as working on her production company, prepping for Euphoria season two, being an ambassador for Maybelline and filming her Facebook series, Reid has been cast in Andrew Baird’s thriller One Way. On announcing her casting, Baird compared Reid to a young Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver, and on Instagram, Reid recently said “it’s happening”, in response to reports of her starring in the next installment of the Searching franchise. Atop all this, Reid has to do all her schoolwork and prep for college this fall. Does she ever time to just be, well, a teenager? She laughs when thinking about her packed 2021 calendar. “I like to rest; I like to sleep. I like to stay in my room, but I’m also a person who doesn’t like to sit still for too long. I have to find somewhere to go, even if it’s the grocery store—I just have to get out of the house,” she says on her love of the outdoors, pointing to the surroundings of the garden from which she is talking.”
Hair: Shawnna Edwards Makeup: Joanna Simkin
BURBERRY coat, bodysuit, and top.
Reid affirms her demonstration and shares that getting outside and being with her friends helps to keep her grounded. “I was talking to my friends, and I was like, ‘You guys have to help me find the balance of resting and getting sleep, but also hanging out with you guys, because that’s something I want to do.’ As a 17-year-old, having a close group of friends, we want to hang out, go get dinner, drive places. That’s what I usually do. I like reading and listening to lots and lots of music.”
Reid’s support network
is strong. As well as her
close group of friends and family, she’s supported by
her teachers, who help her balance her studies alongside acting. Additionally, on set,
Reid says she’s “always had the experience” of fellow actors
and mentors and directors “checking in on her”, making sure she has space and respite
if ever needed. “It helps me not to feel overwhelmed, or not to feel like I’m being overworked and nobody cares about my talents, but also, how I feel like a human. I’m still a human, even
though I’m doing this work for you. I’m presenting my talents to you: I’m still just a seventeen-year-old-girl... Thankfully, I’ve been supported in that way, but also, outside of set, I have a great support system—people who have done a great job to do the same thing in my household, or friends and family, to make sure that I’m good, or take a break when I need to. Just really take the time to make sure I’m okay. Those things are important and I’m grateful for that.”
In L.A. where Reid lives, lockdown restrictions are, she says, slowly but surely lifting, and when not currently on set, she’s enjoying being outdoors and finding some rare time to relax. But Reid wasn’t joking when she says she doesn’t like to sit still. As soon as the relaxing is over, she’s back to sowing the seeds of her future. The actor, who turns eighteen this July, beams about the future, “It’s going to be a busy year, but I’m excited, “It’s a healthy balance of doing all this fun stuff, but also just being a regular, normal teenager.” She leans back and gently laughs at the thought, humbly, perhaps not realizing just how much of an extraordinary teenager she truly is.
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PHOTOGRAPHER: ROBIN HARPER AT EARLY MORNING RIOT. STYLIST: JASON BOLDEN. HAIR: SHAWNNA EDWARDS. MAKEUP: JOANNA SIMKIN AT THE WALL GROUP. STYLIST ASSISTANT: JOHN MUMBLO. FILM DIRECTOR: DEREK MILTON.