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.
Settore L-ART/05 - Discipline Dello Spettacolo
Settore L-ART/06 - Cinema, Fotografia e Televisione
Settore L-ART/07 - Musicologia e Storia della Musica
Settore M-STO/02 - Storia Moderna
Settore L-OR/13 - Armenistica, Caucasologia, Mongolistica e Turcologia
2013
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/510261#info_wrap
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/1029593
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