http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/04/01/camel-ad-dancing-on-glass/ Yesterday's tomorrow, today. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:36:33 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/04/01/camel-ad-dancing-on-glass/comment-page-1/#comment-112362 Caya Mon, 02 Apr 2007 14:13:23 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/04/01/camel-ad-dancing-on-glass/#comment-112362 It's interesting how these "Indian dancing girls" are as white as the folks watching them. Of course accuracy is not the goal of that photo- selling cigarettes with a little sexy display is. It would be taboo back then for dark-skinned women to be an object of lust for pure, Aryan folks like them, so they had to use white girls. Note the picture of the woman smoking the cigarette in the lower photo- it's there purely for shock value, according to the social codes of the times. Yet everything is packaged for acceptance- you have nice upper-class ladies watching the ladies dance, even a matron is watching. Everybody is nice and white; it's all safe and yet daring at the same time, like going slumming and watching the natives from your air-conditioned Cadillac. It’s interesting how these “Indian dancing girls” are as white as the folks watching them. Of course accuracy is not the goal of that photo- selling cigarettes with a little sexy display is. It would be taboo back then for dark-skinned women to be an object of lust for pure, Aryan folks like them, so they had to use white girls. Note the picture of the woman smoking the cigarette in the lower photo- it’s there purely for shock value, according to the social codes of the times. Yet everything is packaged for acceptance- you have nice upper-class ladies watching the ladies dance, even a matron is watching. Everybody is nice and white; it’s all safe and yet daring at the same time, like going slumming and watching the natives from your air-conditioned Cadillac.

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