Tayla Harris recreates iconic AFLW photo for Stellar magazine
For Stellar editor-in-chief Sarrah Le Marquand, it was a simple enough request — get AFLW star Tayla Harris to recreate her iconic kick for this week’s cover. What Le Marquand wasn’t banking on was the series of events that unfolded behind the scenes.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
They say a picture tells a thousand words — but what they don’t say is that behind some pictures lie a thousand sleepless nights, not to mention a thousand frantic phone calls.
In the 130 issues of Stellar that I have worked on as editor-in-chief since the magazine launched almost three years ago, I’ve lost count of the downright bizarre conversations I’ve had on an average day in the office.
We have convinced Shane Warne to pose as a Ken doll; coaxed a 71-year-old Debbie Harry to stand in front of a bedroom wall plastered with posters of her in her heyday; and asked Sam Dastyari to don silk pyjamas while eating a bowl of rice with chopsticks.
When it came to this week’s cover, featuring AFLW player Tayla Harris, the concept was simple yet powerful: photograph her replicating the now iconic kick that ignited a national conversation about women in sport and online abuse.
Did I say simple? Silly me.
Less than 24 hours before the shoot, it transpired Harris had recently dyed her hair blue and although she was planning on returning to blonde, she had run out of time to get to the hairdresser.
Now, I have nothing against blue hair, but for this cover to work we needed Harris to be instantly recognisable — so the Stellar team set about calling every top salon in Melbourne to make an emergency appointment.
“But we realised it would only be possible to get her hair to a lighter colour of blue and not back to blonde,” recalls Stellar’s fashion editor Irene Tsolakas.
So it was off to the wig store, and — four hours and countless hair pins later — a blonde ponytail was firmly in place.
As if the sharp pins pinching her scalp were not painful enough, a stoic Harris arrived on set sporting a leg brace — not exactly conducive to executing a sky-high kick.
“Even with her leg injury she was willing to take off her brace and jump and sprint to make the shot work,” says Tsolakas. “And her high kick was effortless and incredible.”
Having good-naturedly humoured all of my requests throughout the shoot, it was only my suggestion to try the kick in a pair of high heels that Harris politely rebuffed, for fear she might roll her ankle.
And that’s why she’s the sporting champion, and I am the magazine editor.
TAYLA HARRIS IN HER OWN WORDS EXCLUSIVELY IN TOMORROW’S STELLAR MAGAZINE AND WWW.DAILYTELEGRAPH.COM.AU
Originally published as Tayla Harris recreates iconic AFLW photo for Stellar magazine
Minns mulls stronger police power to reject protests as costs soar
The Premier said a review would take place into protests and the allocation of police resources, saying cops should have powers to reject a protest, citing a $5m financial burden. Have your say in our poll.
Sydney serial protest princess ‘fired for activism’
A serial protester who wears Disney princess dresses at pro-Palestinian rallies to make children feel more comfortable taking part says she’s been sacked from her job.