Comedian and plus-size model Naomi Watanabe is huge in Japan. With 8.8 million Instagram followers, she’s a distant first. And she’s used her unconventional size to further the cause of body positivity, especially for women in Japan, more than anyone in recent memory. And now she’s back with her partner-in-crime, the art director Yuni Yoshida, for another groundbreaking advertisement for Shu Uemura.
After being named brand ambassador for Shu Uemura last year, this is Watanabe’s 2nd collaboration with the global cosmetics company. Now Me (a play on the model’s 1st name, Naomi) consists of a series of lipstick and cheek blush.
For the advertisements, Yoshida chose to sandwich the actual products between Watanabe’s body and a sheet of transparent plexiglass, creating a bold and empowering image. “As always she made full use of my unique body,” said Watanabe in a post. “I think it’s a style that only I can express.”
