Koala And Jack Vidgen Have Teamed Up For Mardi Gras And It’s All About Just Doing You
Vidgen will and perform this weekend in outfits described as “doona couture”.
Koala's mission is to help people feel comfortable at home and beyond.
With the 2021 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras coming up, Koala Furniture has tapped Jack Vidgen for its ‘Comfy In Your Own Skin’ campaign. Jack, of course, charmed Australia at 14 years old when he won season 5 of Australia’s Got Talent, launching his singing career in the process. He’s been back in the Aussie spotlight recently with his appearances on The Voice in 2019, during which he publicly came out as gay, and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2020.
Jack and Koala are all about feeling comfortable in your own skin, and Jack will march in the Mardi Gras parade and perform his own rendition of ‘Free’ by Ultra Naté. Koala and Vidgen are working together to spread this message of inclusivity to continue the company’s efforts in championing diversity – it was one of the first Australian furniture brands to feature same-sex couples in their advertisements and has long championed a message that “celebrates all different combinations of bedfellows”.
Vidgen says that, like many in the entertainment industry, he has struggled to feel comfortable in his own skin, which is what inspired him to alter the way he looks. His appearance was a topic of discussion during his season of I’m A Celebrity, where he revealed he had dermal filler injections in his cheeks, jaw, nose and lips, and that he did it only for himself. The changes were the product of a long and challenging relationship with his appearance.
It’s something he thinks especially affects the LGBTIQ community, partly due to the long history of struggling to fit within established societal norms. It’s why he cares so much about the concept of ‘feeling comfortable in your own skin’, and why Koala’s campaign resonates so much with him. He has a message for other LGBTIQ people who may be lacking in confidence – a lesson learnt from a decade of public scrutiny:
“Block out the negatives and just be kind to yourselves,” he says. “We all come in different shapes, sizes, colours and sexual orientations. It’s okay to be who you are and it’s important to value yourself and the joy and kindness that you can bring to the world.
“Being comfortable in my skin is something that I’m learning to do and learning to love,” he says. “(But for LGBTIQ people), it means freedom. The freedom to just be ourselves. To dress and act the way we want and to feel confident in doing so.”
The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras runs until March 7, with the parade taking place at 6pm on Saturday, March 6, at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
(Images courtesy of Koala)