“I am beautiful because I am black,” is a statement once said by supermodel Iman Abdulmajid. These few words carry a lot of power for three reasons: it reveals a woman taking pride in her own identity, her freedom to express it, and most importantly, her ownership of her image and beauty and not being afraid – or ashamed – to show it. ‘Beauty’ in this case is a personal self-expression; it is part of the realization of who we are. Just as we try to understand and build ourselves through values, thoughts, and ideas, our relationship with our physicality is a reflection of these same values. In other words, what we see as ‘beautiful’ can be a mirror of the society we are in, whether it is inclusive, diverse, and treats all faces and bodies as equal. Yet modeling still carries a lot of negative connotations for most people, particularly in Egypt where it is associated with derogatory terms for women. Thinking about beauty and fashion through the prism of women’s empowerment is also excluded from feminist circles. “Fashion has a negative impact on women,” is what is often…
Modeling as an Art: Exploring Beauty, Feminism and Identity with Egyptian Model Mariam Abdallah
July 7, 2020
