Photographed by Sharif Hamza for Paris Vogue December-January 2011 issue, it features VERY young child models - Lea, Prune and Thylane, as part of the "Cadeaux" editorial. They were styled by Melanie Hyunh, dressed in luxurious and expensive designer gowns matched with shiny bing-a-ring jewellery and they wore more make-up than the average model editorial model would use.
Looking at the photos at first, I couldn't help but notice the lighting technique and I judged it aesthetically. It looks rich, luxurious, expensive BUT dead wrong! Well at least that's what most people think. Personally, aesthetically it's not wrong or gross but ethically using children and placing them in a setting like this of a high fashion-almost-couture like set, raises a moral issue.
I find it a tad below disgusting but it's Vogue Paris. They're always provocative so I guess this is normal to them, innovative for being one of the first, if not the first, to use children as fashion models in it's campaign. Kudos to Hamza too for executing the innovative concept.
A.B
What could you say about French culture? They always create something different, provocative, and intriguing. These images reminds me of kids beauty pageant. I agree that these images are ethically wrong. It raises moral issues, but aesthetically these images are quite good.
ReplyDeletePersonally I think this is just wrong. I understand that the fashion industry has always struggled to burnish its images as something more than a vessel of for insecurities, pretentiousness and superficiality, but the idea of bringing these innocent angels into this is just repulsive. Every fashion photographer /publisher brainstorms every single minute to create something that is not just a pretty picture, including myself, and these images not only show no real empathy and understanding of the subjects, in this case, kids, but the whole idea of using underage to achieve some sort of "wow" effect is ridiculous, especially when it's French Vogue.
ReplyDeleteIt's true I guess what they say about the French culture being provocative and erotic. Erotic in a sense here where our curiosity and emotions are triggered. It's an attention grabber sort of but it's the fashion world. It's elusive and bare. What we see (what they're trying portray) is nothing short of "beauty", real or fake, it doesn't matter.
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ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you guys that aesthetically, the photos are just simply beautiful. Great execution. While I'm not exactly sure what this spread is trying to tell, the message I'm getting from it is somewhat close to the issue regarding the lost of innocence. They are trying to show how strange and "wrong" it may be to see "innocent" children tainted by all the wrongs of the world, being power, ego, sex, money and more. Take away those elements from the photos and it could pass as children playing dress up. While all of it isn't exactly erotic, there are certain photos where the young girls have been put in provocative poses. I may be wrong about the message that I'm getting from the images. For all you know, they might just want to eroticize children just for the sake of fashion. Hahaha.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of Sally Mann and her portraits of her children. How far is too far? Where's the gap between art and exploitation?