hot plebe by Salvador Hernández
Words by Suzette
“My name is Suzette and yes, I am suspicious.
Let me explain.
I’m a multidisciplinary, neurodivergent, non-binary artist from the northwest of Mexico. I grew up loving my culture: corridos, cumbias norteñas, dressing like a cowboy for special occasions, the food, the slang, all of it. However, that same culture that I love is often entangled with toxic masculinity, sexism, and homophobia. That’s why, since I was a child, I understood that gender and the expression of gender are only constructs; concepts, not cages.
To be honest, I don’t care so much about my pronouns anymore. I prefer the experience of navigating gender however I want through all of it. But if I have to define myself, I would say I’m just a Mexican fairy, angel, monster, travestí.
Travesti is a French word, but in Latin America it carries layered meaning. It was once used as a slur against drag queens and trans people. For some of us, it has been reclaimed. In my case, it feels political and powerful. To call myself a 360° norteñx travestí is an act of resistance. At the core of my artistry is a message: people like me can reclaim and reappropriate norteñx culture. Whether you’re queer, autistic, or simply different from the norm, you don’t have to exile yourself from where you come from.
I want my people from Sonora, and the world, to understand that you can transform the feeling of being excluded by your own culture into something empowering. If it matters to you, you don’t have to choose one thing or the other. You can belong and disrupt at the same time. I call myself a multidisciplinary artist because I work across music, fashion, and image, and that’s what this editorial is about. Originally created for my DJ/beatmaker press kit, it became something more: a glimpse into my world.
Imagine a version of Latin America, more specifically the northwest of Mexico, stripped of LGBTQ+ phobia and toxic masculinity. A place where we can listen to Valentín Elizalde and Jenni Rivera at a carne asada while wearing our true skin. That energy is present in my DJ sets and in my music. It’s fantasy. It’s horror, but camp. It’s kitsch. It’s surreal.
As I said before, I identify more as a creature than as a human, so I like to express my sexuality through my art — music and fashion — as something raw and primitive. I think sex and dancing are deeply connected, in the sense that both are intuitive to the body. People say that if you can dance, you can bump, and honestly, I kind of agree. As a DJ, I love making people dance so they can let loose, so they can bump. That’s one of the things I love most about being a DJ: I get to create an atmosphere, almost like I’m setting the mood, like I’m orchestrating the foreplay before the foreplay.
I like to think of myself as a siren when I’m dancing, getting dressed, or mixing tracks at the booth, owning my sexuality in a way that isn’t normative, but is still magnetic, enchanting. I feel a certain kind of power when I fully embrace that. And I like to believe that when someone is attracted to me, it’s because they’ve deconstructed the idea of heteronormative sex, or at least because they’re not judgemental.
My main references for these images were Suspiria (1977) by Dario Argento, fairy tales, non-binary rage, North Mexican men, buchonas, my own tropicalised interpretation of New York Club Kids, and a touch of Latin American cabaret. One of my favourite designers was Alexander McQueen, who once said: “I want people to be afraid of the woman I dress.” That line lives with me.
I use horror as language. I want to make the “correct” people uncomfortable. Maybe discomfort can wake them up to whatever they’re repressing. Because ultimately, my purpose is simple: to invite people to be themselves — radically. I treat art and gender like costumes I can rip apart and rebuild overnight. I shapeshift out of boredom. Out of instinct. Out of hunger. You’ll never see the next version coming. That’s the point. Suspicious? Good. I’ve got more forms loading. Who knows? Maybe I still have a few surprises up my sleeve.
A big shoutout to a fellow creative, photographer, and partner in crime, Salvador (@lostvillano). These images would not be the same without him. He matches my freak — artistically and spiritually. No one could have portrayed and expanded this world better.”
Team Credits:
Photographer/Creative Director: Salvador Hernández
http://www.instagram.com/lostvillano
Model/Creative Director/Wardrobe Stylist: Suzette Orozco Justiniani
http://www.instagram.com/hotplebe_
Videographer/Assistant: Rafael Luna
http://www.instagram.com/luna_fel_
Wardrobe Stylist/Makeup Artist/Hair Stylist: Jose Carlos Dinkel / Satana
http://www.instagram.com/satanaherself
Makeup Artist/Makeup Effects: Ana Paula Antuna