Carmela Z. sent us a link to the current volume of Vogue. In it is a slide show of a photo shoot featuring Liya Kedebe in Mali. Carmela notes, perceptively, that the binary between the modern and the primitive is not signified by race alone. This shoot “contrasts the glamorous foreigner with the native people and environment” in order to both romanticize “traditional” cultures and elevate “modern” ones. It is worth speculating, I think, about exactly what it is, other than beauty, that is used to set Kedebe apart.
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Great post. I too lingered over this spread in Vogue. One tentative answer I would propose–she is photographed only with people much older or younger than herself. I’m not sure what the full implications of that are, but the presence of only older people, and all those happy children, make it seem like a theme park in which she’s free to move about, uncontested, as the sole object of desire. What would the presence of her agemates signify?
In most of the photos shown, Kedebe is the only one looking directly at the camera. Most of the other people are busy with their lives. They seem to be functioning as “exotic,” “picturesque” scenery.
Also, skin. It’s not just that her skin is lighter than the others (though it is), but also that she is made up to look fresher, less worn, the light glimmers off her face.
she’s looking at the camera. her clothes, while traditional contrast. in most images she’s the only one smiling. etc etc…
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