Pedestrian Group has launched Refinery29, the global media and entertainment destination focused on women and underrepresented voices, in Australia and New Zealand for the first time.

The highly-anticipated launch coincides with the announcement of an ongoing partnership between Refinery29 Australia and Getty Images.

Getty Images is a world leader in visual communications, to create stock photo libraries that evolve the visual representation of Australian women and underrepresented people.

Available for use by any outlet or business with a Getty Images licence, the We Are Many Image Gallery will spotlight multiple communities over the next 12 months.

Starting with a library of 100 images capturing First Nations peoples across five key categories identified by Refinery29 Australia and Getty Images as lacking in its representation of Indigenous Australians: Work, Relationships, Wellness, Lifestyle and Technology.

The following two image galleries, which will roll out over the next six months, will focus on the plus-size and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Getty Images continues to see increased demand for authentic depictions of women and underrepresented groups – First Nations content, in particular, is in high demand by Getty Images customers in Australia.

In the last 12 months, searches on gettyimages.com for ‘Indigenous Australian’ have increased by 57 per cent, ‘Australian Aboriginal’ by 139 per cent and ‘Aboriginal’ by 64 per cent.

Searches for ‘people with disabilities have increased by 131 per cent and ‘plus-size women’ by 130 per cent. While traditionally taboo topics such as ‘menstruation’ continue to be a strong search term.

Port Hedland-based photographer and proud Ngarluma, Karriyarra (Pilbara) Yawuru, Nyulnyul (Kimberley) woman Bobbi Lockyer collaborated with Refinery29 Australia to capture the First Nations image gallery.

Lockyer called on her own network to recruit First Nations talent who identify as female, queer or non-binary to bring the imagery to life.

The images in the We Are Many Image Gallery, are intersectional, nontraditional, and unapologetic in their authentic depictions of women and underrepresented people. The LGBTQIA+ and plus-size image galleries will be shot by Sydney-based queer photographer and stylist Lexi Laphor (@femmeasfuck) and Melbourne-based photographer and plus-size model Laura Du Vé (@lvdphoto) respectively.

Photographer, Lockyer, said: “I was so excited to be asked by Refinery29 Australia to capture the imagery for this unique project,

“I’m passionate about positive Indigenous representation in mainstream media and brand imagery because it shapes how my community is perceived by society and how we view ourselves – and there’s nowhere near enough of it.

“This collection is an important step in addressing that problem by encouraging media and brands to use more First Nations imagery that’s free from tired stereotypes.”

Kate Rourke, head of creative insights APAC at Getty Images and iStock, said: “Getty Images has always understood the power of imagery to incite change, and we are passionate about elevating the ways in which women are portrayed by the Australian media.

“Our Visual GPS research shows that 50 per cent of women experience more than one bias — from body shape, type and size, to age and ethnicity.

“While social conversations have become more inclusive in recent years, traditional media has been slower to change despite our VGPS research revealing that 74 per cent of ANZ women cite the importance of diversity in media and advertising, especially from the brands they support.

“We’re excited to partner with Refinery29 Australia, and create local stock image galleries that enable women and underrepresented groups to be more accurately and unapologetically represented in the editorial space.”

Refinery29 Australia’s head of editorial, Zahra Campbell-Avenell, said: “Our partnership with Getty Images is the perfect introduction to what Refinery29 is all about – showcasing and celebrating diversity.

“The representation of Australian women and gender-diverse people – in the media and by brands – still has a long way to go, and Indigenous Australians are often depicted in outdated or stereotypical ways.

“Our hope is that these visuals help change that.”

Refinery29 Australia launches with a team of five, which was announced in June.

• CampbellAvenell – who reports directly to Pedestrian group publisher Vanessa Lawrence.
• Kate McGregor as managing editor (formerly managing editor of POPSUGAR Australia)
• Alicia Vrajlal as culture editor (formerly editor of HuffPost Australia)
• Pema Bakshi as style & living editor (formerly digital content editor at Vogue Australia, Vogue Living and GQ Australia)
• Maggie Zhou as writer & producer (formerly Editorial Assistant at Fashion Journal).

Due to COVID-19, the launch party for Refinery29 Australia has been pushed back to November, with more details to be shared in the coming weeks. Confirmed commercial launch partners include Uber, Adidas, Peters Ice Cream and Stan.