Uploaded by BrianShumwayPhoto on Aug 28, 2010
Titled after a Lenny Kravitz song extolling the unique beauty of black women, Black Girl is a portrait series about aspiring models. Having a documentary background, I began photographing models to challenge myself professionally. However, my notions about modeling and the kinds of women who pursue it were challenged as I gradually recognized a central paradox: so many black women choosing to pursue modeling despite the industry's persistent preference for white models. On one modeling website alone, there are over 3000 aspiring black models within the New York City area. Only white women surpass that. After organizing shoots, I realized this was an opportunity to explore a large, yet isolated corner of the modeling world.
Part anthropology and part make-believe, Black Girl is subtle and multifaceted. Because this project was collaborative (the models and I would discuss wardrobe, make-up, pose, concept, location, etc), the results demonstrate one way in which they choose to be seen. The act of modeling allows them to enter an alternate reality and assume an alter ego. Conversely, it opens a space to unveil a dormant side of themselves and grapple with issues about the body, identity, beauty, sexuality, youth, and fantasy. How they express themselves not only says something about who they are individually, but reveals clues about the broader socioeconomic class and cultural milieu to which they belong.
Black Girl is a small sampling of black women with a passion for modeling. It attempts to capture how they see themselves in the role of model and is not meant to represent all aspiring black models nor black women generally. Far from being cookie-cutter fashion or runway models, they deviate from the industry's stringent definition of beauty. At core, Black Girl is a story of bitter irony, of beautiful women who dream of a profession where they are systematically devalued. Yet, they prove that an undeniable drive to attain a dream cannot be diminished.
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Log on to indiemusicandfilm com for our free promo package... Also, I'm wondering if any of girls can act?????
indiemusicandfilmcom 1 year ago
Log on to indiemusicandfilm com for our free promo package... Also, I'm wondering if any og girls can act?????
indiemusicandfilmcom 1 year ago