Exotic Props?

[Randy W]

.
In the 2013 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, Chinese people are exotic props


http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/jamesgriffiths/sports-illu-china.jpg

[dnoblett]

That's out of control, truly clashes.

[Mick]

Surreal is what it is. Reminds me of a Dali painting, where things that don't go together somehow occupy the same space. Strange.....

[Randy W]

I'm sure those girls had the same reaction my wife usually does when she sees something like that - "Laughty!" (rhymes with naughty)

[tsap seui]

I'll bet if they put a talking balloon over those cute little smiling girls (who look like they are all tickled by the same joke) it would say...."This is ridiculous beyond all belief"

 

tsap seui

[Urkidding]

What props????

[Fu Lai]

"For Sports Illustrated, China is poverty and 'ethnic' clothing, not the world's second largest economy where the majority of people live in cities rather than the countryside." Good point with deep meaning.

[Feathers268]

Frankly, I don't see any problems here. No political statements about 3rd world, 1st world, economy or cultural superiority. How about this. 1, a vast majority of SI readers will have never seen traditional clothing like this. 2, without being told so, the SI reader is not going to know they are Chinese over Japanese, Korean, or any other Asian culture. 3, they were probably chosen due to being very colorful against the backdrop of tropical plants and contrasting the model in the swimsuit. 4, the average SI reader is looking at the model and could care less that the girls in traditional clothing are from China, Alaska, the Netherlands, Mexico, or any other nation on the planet.

I personally see a beautiful model posing with some cute girls who hopefully made a little money to spend the day getting their picture taken. SI has no reason to think of China in any sort of light other than providing unique locations for photo shoot. Should I read something into CBS when they choose to tape a season of Survivor in China or the Amazing Race chooses Shanghai or Beijing as a stop for a leg? Should we grill any media operation that shows a picture of China or its people?

[Feathers268]

 

China has tons of skyscrapers and modern cities that make New York look rickety

Granted I've only been here in NYC for 6 months, but Manhattan looks far from rickety. This article reads like the little brother just trying to knock down the older brother.

Edited February 17, 2013 by Feathers268 (see edit history)

[Feathers268]

Aother thought, this ties in with the thread on Hong Kong. The writer of this article seems ashamed of any depiction of China not showing the shining class towers of the big city. Like it or not, those children or that man on the boat are pictures from China's history. That man is doing nothing that his ansesters have done for 1000s of years. It is part of the heritage of the region and should be embraced, not hidden.

[Fu Lai]

This article reads like the little brother just trying to knock down the older brother.

 

USA is the "older brother" to China? Here I always hear it said that the USA is a "baby country".

 

I have no strong feelings either way but my wife looked at a couple of the pictures and became very angry that China was being used as a backdrop to sell American women in bikinis. She said something like "some stupid Chinese dog sold our heritage for American girls in bras and make China tourist places look like normal China". She is very traditional though and won't even consider moving to America. Just saying.

[Randy W]

My feeling is that the bikinis are more than a little bit out of place in the setting. Very poor "photojournalism", in my book.

[Feathers268]

Well, the "older brother" comment was more a reaction to the writers statement about rickity old NYC. Sure China is much older, but if you talk about a modern city skyline, China is a much younger kid on the block. I'm sure you've seen that I like the SF skyline better than NY. I don't think the photos are done with an abundance of good judgement. Hell, I've only ever owned one copy of SI's swimsuit issue and that was because I wound up with a subscription somehow. I just don't think there is any agenda here. Just a photo artist trying to be different.