Chen Man’s apology came more than a week after Dior was attacked for the photo at its Shanghai exhibition, which featured an Asian-born model with tanned skin and freckles and dark eyelids holding a Dior bag. Famous Chinese fashion photographer apologized for past work after online critics called him offensive to Chinese people and fashion house Dior removed one of her photos from a runway in Shanghai.
Chen Man admitted to criticizing his previous work, notably “Young Pioneers”, a series of images of a young model against the backdrop of important monuments such as the enormous Three Gorges Dam in China or with an image of the first. under her dress. The criticism was reported by the state newspaper Global Times, which said comments on social media called his work “implicit in child pornography and insulting young pioneers”, named after one organization. of youth affiliated with the Communist Party. “I thought deeply and blamed Se for my naivety and ignorance at the time. I think I haven’t officially apologized to everyone yet,”
Chen wrote this week on her. social network account. “I am a Chinese, born and raised, I love my homeland deeply,” she wrote. “And I know, deeply, that as an artist, I have a responsibility to record and disseminate the culture of the Chinese people. She joins many Chinese and foreign celebrities, brands and artists who have publicly apologized for criticism of their work in state media: Some have been boycotted for refusing to apologize or if an apology is deemed insufficient. Chen’s apology came more than a week after Dior was attacked for the photo during its exhibition in Shanghai, which showed an Asian model with tanned and freckled skin and dark eyelids holding onto a Dior bag.
Critics found the photograph to violate East Asian beauty standards of fair skin and said it perpetuated Western stereotypes about Asian faces, such as almond eyes. At least one photo editor has praised his work in the past for creating an aesthetic that didn’t mimic Western, Japanese and South Korean magazines. And in 2019, the Global Times described Chen as China’s response to American photographer Annie Leibovitz, calling her a “shining star” with a unique perspective. Dior deleted the photograph, adding that it was part of an art project and not an advertisement. In a statement posted on its Chinese social media account, Dior said it “respects the feelings of the Chinese people” and “strictly abides by Chinese laws and regulations.
Other luxury brands have already been embroiled in controversy in China. In 2018, a Dolce and Gabbana’s ad sparked public outrage after the Asian ad model was ordered to eat spaghetti, cannoli and pizza with a pair of chopsticks. videos were then deleted Chen’s social media post said he accepts criticism of his work, including those of a certain brand, but Dior did not clarify. The photograph taken from the Shanghai exhibition was taken in a style similar to a series of covers.
Chen made for British fashion magazine ID which featured 12 young Chinese women from different ethnic minorities. Many women did not fit what has become a common definition of beauty in China: some had small eyes and others had freckles. Ding Yining, photo editor at Sixth Tone, praised Chen’s work in a 2018 article for the State English-language website. “From her work, it would appear that Chen prefers female models with narrow eyes and one eyelid and a sense of traditional East Asian elegance,” Ding wrote. Chen told Sixth Tone that “as a professional visual artist, I think I should help more people recognize the face of modern Chinese beauty with greater confidence.
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