They are Jodie Turner- Smith and Joshua Jackson.
He worked in film and television. Today, she is making her own waves in Hollywood. The husband and wife team of Joshua Jackson and Jodie Turner-Smith want to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
Jodie and Joshua are supporting up-and-coming fellow creatives with Generation Next's "The Call that Started it All."
Joshua told me that he remembers the calls in his young artist life that changed the trajectory of his life.
Jodie says it is amazing to team up with Teen Vogue and celebrate the diverse and inclusive fashion designers. I'm all about creating opportunities for people, so I was very excited by this plan that supports and elevated young designers that want to say something through design
Joshua and Jodie have been married and have a daughter. I wondered how this power couple would define what it means to be a change maker in a society that is constantly evolving.
Jodie Turner- Smith and Joshua Jackson arrived at the EE British Awards. The photo was taken by David M. Benett.
Jodie says that being a change maker means using your voice, platform, actions, and integrity to push your community to change for the better. I think that change happens on a micro-level, person-to- person, and it's really about who we are in our everyday lives and how that affects the people around us, so that we can actually see change happen on a macro-level. I think it's about trying to make a stand for pushing change forward because without that, I wouldn't be able to.
Joshua says, "I agree with all of that and I would just add to it the component - I think it begins with yourself." In order to be a change maker in the world, you need to be honest with yourself. Think about the things that you can't live with and then try to change the inequalities that you see in the world.
Even though Jodie and Joshua are interracial, they still get criticism on social media. How do they ignore any comments that aren't in support of them? Jodie doesn't recommend reading the comments.
Jodie Turner- Smith and Joshua Jackson attended the Met Gala in New York City. The photo was taken by Jeff Kravitz of FilmMagic.
Jodie says, "I think that the only way to move anything forward is just be in the discussion, at least." In the same way that we want representation in front of the camera, we also need to make sure that we have representation behind the camera as well. We are going to see some positive changes in our world when we extend that conversation to every walk of life.
The culture has moved beyond the industry and it took us some time to catch up to the realities of the world that we live in. Jodie said in front of the camera and behind the camera that she wanted more inclusive stories to be told. We have to be realistic that we have a long, long, long, long way to go because these are both industry problems and cultural problems. The cultural conversation that we need to be in to really take a step forward has only just begun.
I asked Jodie if her style choices are just a fun way of expressing herself, or if she hopes to make a statement to the world through the various designs she wears in public.
Jodie Turner- Smith attended the "Bardo" red carpet in Venice, Italy. The photo was taken by Dominque Charriau.
Jodie thinks it is a mixture of both. It is definitely a form of personal expression and I am pushing for representation in front of the camera and behind the camera as well. I want to give black people more power. My hair and makeup artists are black and I like to wear black. One thing I noticed when I was in Venice was that it wasn't very black. It felt special to be representing so many black designers on the red carpet because we were definitely represented on my body and I think that's always been the case To show the beauty and the creativity and the power of black communities in the diaspora is something that is pushed forward.
I wanted to end my conversation with Joshua and Jodie by asking them what they love most about their spouse and co-parent.
Joshua says one thing that is fashion related and one thing that is just about his wife Jodie. I feel honored to be next to her when she becomes a mother and to watch her grow as a person. I love how much power my wife has in that fashion space and how much joy she gets from it. When I get to see my wife being celebrated and fed, I am very happy.
Jodie Turner- Smith and her husband Joshua posted a picture on their social media accounts.
Jodie said that she wanted Josh to be her husband because of how loved and supported she felt by him. I've never been with someone who wanted to lift me up the way I felt he was lifting me up. I like that about him. The world is a rough place and there are a lot of obstacles that we have to overcome. I want you to see your dreams come true when you marry me. Women are often asked to play a secondary role in relationships and support the goals of our men. That is similar to a societal thing. I feel that women apologize for themselves and don't take up space because of that conditioning. The strength of a man to be able to have a powerful woman and not break her down is something that I admire. He has been able to see himself as a father. I can't think of a person in the world who doesn't have some form of 'daddy issues', so when you see someone fathering in this really beautiful way and think to yourself, wow, I'm actually setting my daughter up for such a beautiful life
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