At 23 years old, the young multi-hyphenate has been sending seismic waves across the industry, generating deafening noise each time another project of hers sees the day of light
Lyna Malandro is a pure product of the Internet. Whatever the platform or medium – video, photography, or even creative direction – the world wide web is her favorite playground, never short of another idea or concept to mirror the lives of young adults like herself online.
So far, the multi-hyphenate creative can be credited with the founding and launch of several culture-defining ventures that notably include L’Atay, a podcast that aims at probing the different youth experiences of being of North-African descent in France; Footeuses, a documentary that casts a crucial light on the ins and outs of women’s football; as well as VraiesMeufs, a digital platform that explores what it is really like to be a woman in today’s society.
“For L’Atay, I was having conversations with friends so the audio route was obviously the most effective one to diffuse our ethos to the world. With Footeuses, I wanted to spotlight women who fight for their passion: I had to portray them through video,” Malandro shared with Harper’s Bazaar Arabia. “The other communication channel I love is events: reuniting different communities to share in real-life experiences is truly the best. I think that I can’t only choose one, and I still can’t find out what’s my favorite thing to do, so I guess I have to try them all ?”
“The thing is that I always have a lot of ideas and when I have one, I don’t feel complete until I’ve manifested that idea into real life,” the 23-year-old revealed before confessing sometimes feeling doubtful and anxious. ”(…) I feel a lot of guilt when feeling like I am not being productive enough. It can be tricky as I also don’t want people to feel like what I am doing is the norm and what they are doing is less. I actually wrote about it a few years ago on VraiesMeufs,” she said.
“During COVID, I had to distance myself and my self-esteem from what I do from who I am. I try to have a healthier approach towards my projects, and that involves finding ways with dealing with less-busier times,” the rising creative recalled.
“The thing is that I always have a lot of ideas and when I have one, I don’t feel complete until I’ve manifested that idea into real life,” the 23-year-old revealed before confessing sometimes feeling doubtful and anxious. ”(…) I feel a lot of guilt when feeling like I am not being productive enough. It can be tricky as I also don’t want people to feel like what I am doing is the norm and what they are doing is less. I actually wrote about it a few years ago on VraiesMeufs,” she said.
“During COVID, I had to distance myself and my self-esteem from what I do from who I am. I try to have a healthier approach towards my projects, and that involves finding ways with dealing with less-busier times,” the rising creative recalled.
Despite these struggles, Malandro appears to be very aware and well-grounded in the reality of now, embracing the impact her voice may have as well as the fresh lingo she uses to appeal to her of-age audience. Shedding light on matters ranging anywhere from football to feminism and identity, it’s always with a pinch of heart and humor that she introduces her followers to what affects her most with always just enough wit to address any subject matter lightly.
“It all comes from a personal feeling that there is a lack of representation and voice. I truly felt like no one was like me, or was feeling the same as I was when growing up. We must put this back in a context when topics like minorities, body positivism, or diversity were not fashionable. I could not look up to a woman that looked like me, especially a North African woman, which makes no sense when you know that we’re one of the biggest diasporas in France,” Malandro commented, adding that “the lack of voice for young people like me made me realise that I needed to create the platform I wanted to see. This is how I started to write and take pictures, posting portraits on Tumblr and using social networks to share a new perspective, with a homemade twists.”
“To sum up my work, I will maybe say that I am a storyteller as this is the main point that connects all of my projects together since I began. Filming, narrating on a podcast, photographing or writing are just ways to do it for me. I’m always keen to meet and talk to new people, and I want to share all of that with the rest of the world,” she explained.
Speaking on identity Malandro replied that we’re all rich in identities “because our identities are plural as they can cover a lot of subjects, so it’s an infinite source of inspiration.”
“I like to see how other people are living the different aspects of their identities, what we have in common, and what are differences are. It’s sometimes hard to be okay with all parts of your identities, so I guess I am also trying to accept myself and heal through these projects,” the 23-year-old continued.
When asked about her future, Malandro revealed currently finishing a master’s degree at the moment in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at La Sorbonne in Paris although she remains unsure as to which route she’d like to pursue exactly once completed.
“I still feel that I would love to add a computer science aspect to my work. My first work ever was an article I wrote when I was 17 about women and computer science. To be honest, I am only interested in working on projects where I can have a lot of fun even if I hard work, and have enough money to do what I want and travel the world. I put all my trust in God and try to do my part, so yes, this is what you can wish me.”
