It's 2018, but Sana Safinaz still doesn't understand racism
It's lawn season again, and you know what that means — nope, not summery breezey joras — we're talking about scandal.
Designer brand Sana Safinaz's highly anticipated lawn catalogue has sparked online outrage this week for its racist representation of the Masai people.
The catalogue, which was shot in the Masai Mara national park of Kenya, features tribespeople positioned with Sana Safinaz's lawn-clad models.
So is it really racism?
While we can't speak to the intention behind the campaign, the concept and styling of Sana Safinaz's campaign immediately insinuate a power differential between the Pakistani models and the Masai models -- and that's a problem.
In one photograph a Masai tribesman holds an umbrella over a model's head. One can't help but view this photograph as glamourising servitude; when you take into account the African continent's history with slavery the image becomes even more troubling. Historically, black bodies have been treated as objects to either serve or entertain their colonisers, and reinforcing this stereotype in a photograph is just plain wrong.