In this essay, I will follow the story of Belkıs Durmaz, who later became the fashion model, actor, singer, songwriter, poet, painter, and designer Lale Belkıs. Moving from her experiences as a woman and her career as Turkey's first professional fashion model, I will discuss the role of fashion in Turkey's modernization and nation-building program. My focus will be on the unique history of fashion modeling in Turkey from its inception as [End Page 113] a state-sponsored performance form to its integration into the capitalist market economy, and the emergence of diplomatic fashion shows where modernization, postcoloniality, nationalism, and gender politics coalesce to create a performance of Turkish national identity. Exploring the entangled dynamics of design, production, promotion, and consumption, I will discuss how the gendered dynamics of modernization and nationalism gave rise to a unique style. As I examine the perceived relationship between national identity and the female body, I will also analyze the multiple significations of bodies across competing political paradigms.
From a Daughter of the Republic to a Femme Fatale: The Life and Times of Turkey's First Professional Fashion Model, Lale Belkis / R.E. Altinay. - In: WOMEN'S STUDIES QUARTERLY. - ISSN 0732-1562. - 41:1-2(2013), pp. 113-130. [10.1353/wsq.2013.0068]
From a Daughter of the Republic to a Femme Fatale: The Life and Times of Turkey's First Professional Fashion Model, Lale Belkis
R.E. Altinay
Primo
Writing – Original Draft Preparation
2013
Abstract
In this essay, I will follow the story of Belkıs Durmaz, who later became the fashion model, actor, singer, songwriter, poet, painter, and designer Lale Belkıs. Moving from her experiences as a woman and her career as Turkey's first professional fashion model, I will discuss the role of fashion in Turkey's modernization and nation-building program. My focus will be on the unique history of fashion modeling in Turkey from its inception as [End Page 113] a state-sponsored performance form to its integration into the capitalist market economy, and the emergence of diplomatic fashion shows where modernization, postcoloniality, nationalism, and gender politics coalesce to create a performance of Turkish national identity. Exploring the entangled dynamics of design, production, promotion, and consumption, I will discuss how the gendered dynamics of modernization and nationalism gave rise to a unique style. As I examine the perceived relationship between national identity and the female body, I will also analyze the multiple significations of bodies across competing political paradigms.Pubblicazioni consigliate
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