During our recent surveying trip, Liying and I spent a day in the county seat meeting with our government partners. We had some time to kill before an afternoon meeting, so Liying, a local government employee, and myself wandered around the downtown for a while. We moseyed in and out of clothing stores and through a market, just enjoying the free time.
At one point, our government official led us into a photo studio. He obviously knew the photographer as he walked right up and introduced all of us. The photographer asked Liying and I to sit down, offered us tea, and suggested we have a rest (which is very standard in Chinese culture). Liying and I sat down, thinking we would probably just hang out in this shop until our meeting. Wrong!
Next thing I know, the photographer is motioning for me to come to the backroom. I follow her (because I have no choice) and she leads me into her photography studio. I'm surrounded by different hanging backdrops; there are props spread haphazardly around (fake flowers, children's toys, the usual...) and in the back corner is a rack of minority costumes. As I am looking through everything, the photographer directs me to stand in front of one of the backdrops. She is holding her huge camera in her hand and wants to take my picture. I begrudgingly shuffle over to the backdrop, not at all in the mood to have my picture taken by this Chinese woman. I swallow my pride and try to give her a genuine smile.
One photo instantly turned into a full-blown photo shoot. It wasn't just a photo shoot though, think Glamour Shots! She wanted me to give her sassy, Asian model-like poses ... staring thoughtfully into the distance, clasping my hands in front of me, running my fingers through my hair, looking back over my shoulder, giving her a pouty face. I wanted to DIE! Truly. Some people are photogenic and would have loved hamming-it-up for this Chinese photographer. I, on the other hand, do not have a photogenic bone in my body. You would think that after all the hours of America's Next Top Model that my roommates and I have watched that I would have picked up a few tips. Nope. Tyra definitely would have voted me off the show.
I stood there, mortified, and literally ran out of the studio after about ten minutes of picture-taking. Liying saw my look of desperation and asked what happened. I told her that I had become the target of a photo-taking frenzy and was so embarrassed. I told her, "I NEVER want to see those picturesl"
Definitely not in the running for China's Next Top Model
I stood there, mortified, and literally ran out of the studio after about ten minutes of picture-taking. Liying saw my look of desperation and asked what happened. I told her that I had become the target of a photo-taking frenzy and was so embarrassed. I told her, "I NEVER want to see those picturesl"
How silly of me to think I could get away free. A few hours later, our government partner walks up to me and hands me a packet of my photos. The photographer was so excited that she immediately airbrushed (she lightened my skin tone like 10 shades; in Asia, to be pale is more beautiful) and printed copies of my pictures. She didn't stop there though; she asked permission to put a life-size picture of me in the front window of her store. A life-size picture! She had never taken a picture of a foreigner before and wants to use it to promote her business. Talk about humiliating! She also requested that I return to her studio the next time I'm in town so that she can take photos of me dressed up in a minority costume. Oh China.... why is every day here so outrageous?
Definitely not in the running for China's Next Top Model
