Lara Stone

[vogue28]

thats Louis Vuitton S/S 08 right? Lara looks amazing

 

[sedirea]

to everyone complaining about seeing her boobs too much lately, those pictures were shot in 2006

Wait, how do we know it was shot in 2006? I tried looking on his website but maybe I over-looked it.

 

[haute femme]

not only that but it just seems like imperialistic "white mans burden" bull****. but i'm not blaming that on lara and i know she probably had no say it in at all.

yeah it kind of makes me cringe.. they had to have known how this would be seen. If it were just lara covered in paint I wouldn't mind, but the juxtaposition makes it wrong.

 

[lizzardqueen]

Wait, how do we know it was shot in 2006? I tried looking on his website but maybe I over-looked it.

On the website if you go to videos it says Namibia 2006

 

[atlantis]

that picture is breath-taking.

 

[WheresMyUmbrella]

I saw the first photo and basically just scrolled past the rest. I do not care if this is "controversial" or if it "pushes the envelope". It is wrong. Like Luxx said, this is colonialist garbage.

It wouldn't bother me at all if I saw more of the reverse (e.g., Jourdan Dunn in whiteface sitting amongst anonymous Appalachian hillfolks).

 

[sedirea]

^ I think that would be a good idea, but I could only imagine the comments after it is posted.

 

[tigerrouge]

Even if I tell myself, Lara is dressed and coloured like the women because it's part of visually fitting in with the tribe (like a ethnographic experiment) not all the images stay true to that noble aim of respecting their dress.

It's my understanding that in some cultures, women are topless because breasts aren't seen as sexual - but in the four pics where Lara is touching her beasts, this editorial turns into a sex performance with ethnic accessories.

I think there ARE ways of doing this sort of shoot to produce pictures that tantalise the eye and make us think more about the people in the picture along with the model. I think whoever conceptualised the editorial realised Lara would create striking images, but didn't really think much about the clichés of ethnic representation and didn't bother trying to explore anything in a new way.

It's Lara's boobs with a layer of paint and some tribal women as background props.

 

[intentionless]

It's my understanding that in some cultures, women are topless because breasts aren't seen as sexual - but in the four pics where Lara is touching her beasts, this editorial turns into a sex performance with ethnic accessories.

I think that's fair. The shots I like from the ed are (from #6690) the second to the fourth. In those shots I don't see the pictures as being about Lara's boobs or even Lara at all really. I see them as being about contrast and/or highlighting the tribal ways. The first of the final four, for example - the one's where she's holding her boobs - I think is really nice. It's an action shot of her being dressed and it feels legitimate enough to me. After that, however, I do conceed that those last three where Lara is holding her boobs definitely do feel surplus to any meaning. Even the way it starts to slide out of focus gives the camera an almost leering presence. Like the shoot started being about one thing but then descended into something else...

 

[tigerrouge]

Though I wonder what we would say, if we saw images like this in Paris Vogue or some other publication where visual provocation is permitted. Would we make more allowance for the 'taboos' of this editorial if we saw it in a magazine where we are primed to excuse the content because we believe the magazine is daring in everything it does?

That said, most magazines might have more sense than to print it,

 

[pipoca]

 

[yesharry]

I think it's sort of in bad taste, but Lara can do no wrong...not does she here.

 

[organic420]

I think the Steven Lyon shots are BEAUTIFUL!!!!! I think there are many taboos that must be broken, or at least shown a light on! The shots also remind me of one of my fave photographers Leni Riefenstahl (only for her Africa work; she was somehow connected to hitler.) But I felt the shoot was bold and AMAZING OVERALL!

 

[.amahlia.]

i love laras curves! fav part about her . but does anyone know if her measurments are still the same as when she started???

 

[mackos]

#6722 Fantastic photo!

 

[lizzardqueen]

^^ Agreed! I want that hat!

 

[rubydon]

I could be wrong, but I don't think that this is the case at all.

I watched a show once about a tribe in Namibia (the Himba) in which the women adorn themselves in this deep red, muddy, paint-like mixture and wear it all the time. It's part of being a woman there, they have to do it and when the tribe invites outsiders in they encourage the women to do it too. It's not "blacking up" or whatever. From what I remember, the women there had very difficult lives. They were responsible for ridiculous amounts of hard manual labour, got beaten regularly etc, but were still very welcoming and pleasant to the woman from the TV show trying to immerse herself in the culture. You finished watching the show really admiring their strength and beauty and pride.

That's what these images made me think of so I actually think it's a really nice editorial.

excellent point.

 

[Grunged]

When is that French vogue cover goin' to be OUT!!!!
Girlfriends, I canNOT wait!!!! UGH!!!!
What is Carine doin'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She knows that we crave us some Lara!!!!! I wonder if she finna flash some t*ts in this upcoming issue!!!!!!!!! I sure hope so!!! But SSSHHHHHHH!! Don't tell any1 I said that!

 

[alix*]

^ No one would be surprised if she did.
But the issue shouldn't be out for a while, it's on the beginning on January!

 

[sedirea]

Shouldnt we start getting a preview of the cover by the 18th? I know thats still 2 weeks but im hoping it comes sooner