NC Dept of Health & Human Services

PUBLIC HEALTH
CHANGE CAMPAIGN

The spread of monkeypox in the LGBTQ community became a serious concern for health officials in states across the U.S. In North Carolina, Black gay men were particularly hesitant to take the vaccine. Inspired by the words of Johnny Wilson, a health department worker in Mecklenburg, the campaign was born: You’re too beautiful for monkeypox.

Instead of creating ads that scared viewers with close-up images of body sores, my team’s campaign painted nude models with elaborate art, sourced from local artists, that celebrated passion and the human form — uplifting men to see their self worth and the value in protecting themselves from monkeypox.