Sensualite et exotisme

When I was 12 or 13, I discovered Teen, CosmoGirl and Seventeen in the magazines aisle near the checkout coutner at the grocery store. I would often spend hours just standing there, flicking through as many magazines as I could as my parents stocked up for the coming week. In those days, magazines cost an average of 2.500 Kuwaiti dinars (roughly 9 dollars) and were a rare treat...I remember buying an issue and reading and re-reading it for months on end.
Once I graduated from school, my magazine-reading habits also graduated from teeny-bopper to high fashion (or "women's interest" as they're sometimes filed under haha). Now I was reading Vogue, Bazaar and Elle
The only thing common in both kinds of magazines was the fact that the models in magazines never looked anything like me
This is, of course, slowly changing as popular magazines such as Marie Claire, Elle, Cosmopolitan and Vogue are launched in India...Indian editions, bought either on holiday or at Indian stores here for about KD 1 or $3, are wayyy more affordable then US/UK editions (which can cost an absurd KD 5 which is approx. $ 18.50!!) and definitely have more 'relevant' reading material/fashion etc.
Anyway, as a trend, I've been noticing a surge of interst in anything related to India or Indian fashion...even in the 'Western' world. Quite exciting.
Take the Hermes ad campaign for instance (yes, yes, I know by being S/S 08 it is a bit dated by now). It features Lakshmi Menon, who is from South India, is definitely far different from the 'usual' Indian faces people see in ad campaigns etc...especially for internationally known brands. Interestingly, Lakshmi was recently quoted saying: "I look at myself as any other model. But yes, sometimes I’m looked upon as an exotic thing that’s landed on their shores." The Hindu (March 31, 2008)
The exoticism/orientalism is pretty clear in the Hermes ads, especially with a nod to the British raj with Lakshmi in her jodhpurs

Do I find the exoticism of Indian women/models disturbing? Yes, extremely.
Am I sick of the 'white washing' of brown skinned women? YES!
Am I looking forward to seeing beautiful brown skinned people featured prominently in ads/magazines/tv/music/blah blah blah? You bet.

Yeah, it is not the ideal portrayal...but it is a start.

- P