Hate or Love

I have dual dynamic issues with cover like these. Below is just one cover that was shot for a series of photographs for i-D magazine. Finally, someone uses Asian and Chinese models on an international cover, solo! But at the same time, it was done for the purpose in celebration of Chinese New Years: the year of the dragon. While that's all fine and dandy, and in a way, it make some sense to dress the models up in traditional Asian-inspired clothing, isn't it also a double edge sword?

This is one of the more bearable and less stereotypical covers of the bunch. I mean, come on down! Asia and China are becoming one of the fastest modernized continents and countries in the world. While I don't think it was ever their intention, in a way, by dressing up the models in very archaic, traditional and way-past "Asian" inspired clothing, don't you think it's kind of degrading and oppressive? And isn't that a huge contradiction to "the only time we put Asian models on our cover is in "celebration" of their holiday, and so we dress them up in Asian gear"? But when it's NOT their holiday, you DON'T put them up on your cover. Even though Asian models are increasingly gaining more prominence in the industry today, very RARELY have I seen a solo cover of an Asian model WITHOUT any alludes to her or his historical traditions and/or culture.

Can we acknowledge that while differences do exist, we don't have to draw explicit attention onto them? So what if it's a celebration of their holiday? Can't you do it in a more modern/contemporary fashion (pun intended) but incorporate a few historical pieces?

Just some sense of the contradiction: you would NEVER see other (non-white, non-Western or European dictated) covers "celebrating" white people's holidays (to be politically incorrect: i.e. Christmas) with WHITE models dressed up in red-and-white garb holding candy canes and wreaths. UM THAT WOULD JUST LIKE NOT HAPPEN. AT ALL.

Let me repeat: AT ALL.

So love and hate the cover....