Perth Modeling Academy invited me to along style one of their test shoots a little while back. It was full on - 15 girls to shoot in just a few short hours - but we had lots of fun with the loose tribal theme and wild hair&makeup (not to mention inadvertantly setting off the smoke alarm in the studio & getting a visit from the Fireys)!
Photographer: Carlo Fernandes
MUAs: Claire Mac, Sandy Tau, Nicole Forde & Bruce Lim
Hair: Daniel, Lauren & Jane from Maurice Meade
Styling: Claire Mueller
Models @ Perth Modeling Academy
2 comments:
I think you're a great stylist, and I usually dig your aesthetic, but this "tribal" trend that is doing the rounds strikes me as pretty racist.
That kind of "generic African savage" stereotype is really in, but I find it pretty unsettling - here included.
I'm not super articulate about this stuff (plus I'm not a POC) but this is an awesome article that helped me deconstruct the problems with playing things off as "tribal".
http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-19-spring-2001/trouble-tribe
Peace
Hi Patsy,
Thanks for the article link - a thought provoking read.
While I agree that the word 'tribe' and the negative historical connotations it could invoke would certainly be damaging when used in a manner that purposfully undermined, the moral compass is less clear in aesthetic matters.
Had this (or any of the millions of other photoshoots/fashion collections of a similar ilk) been entitled 'This is an African Woman' or 'We've Taken A White Model To The Heart Of Darkness - The Horror The Horror' it would be an entirely different story...(it's interesting that you associate 'tribal' with 'African savage' - to me the 'generic' tribal look is so beyond any particular culture that it is merely an era in fashion history, like Baroque or the 50s). I assure you it was not my intention to offend.
In a broader picture, the line between 'identity' and 'stereotype' is pretty subjective. I suppose, from my perspective as a visual creative, putting exclusions on referencing the aesthetic of particular cultures, places or people at any point in history merely fuels the fire of categorisation. Not something that has a straight answer, I think, but definitely worth ongoing reflection.
Cheers,
Claire
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