Identity and Ideality
The distinction of beauty and the human way of taking claim to a cultures history through appropriation divides our understanding of what it means to inspire. Qualities that shape the ideal woman are referenced by looking at Nefertiti’s bust, and breaking down components of her design that resonated in her time, as well as this generation. Through fashion and fashion photography I look at the choice of composition, color, design, and style and seek to describe the photographer and designer’s vision in an unbiased way. The comparison of what it means to be Queen-like and beautiful take note of the removal and lessened view of Black woman in a historical context, and the consequence of having white woman in place. This also showcases a new way of identifying an iconic Black figure to that of a fair skinned woman, and asks viewer what the opposing images mean for society. As a staple of beauty Nefertiti ignites our notion of power, and in doing so, she becomes a figure of transcendence over any question of racial identification.
The (dis)placement of Nefertiti in fashion and fashion seeks to undress the impact on our historical memory of a Black Queen, and the consequence of her removed Identity. In a determined way, Nefertiti remains to be a figure that claims power, strength and inventiveness, and in another, she is one whose identity as a Black Queen is fading in today’s editorial and documented imagery.
The pharaonic crown Nefertiti is well associated with measures the equality as seen between Queen Nefertiti and her husband Pharaoh Akhenaten and indicates her status as a being close to the Gods. Together the couple introduced a new religion that focused on the sun god Aten, and reinforced the courts move to a new city. As seen in figure 1 the power they exemplified for their people was also reflected in their home life. Here Nefertiti sits in par with her husband, both facing the other with their children at hand; the Queen’s crown, sits just below Akhenaten as Pharaoh, and replicates this elongation with the shape of their daughters’ heads. Stokstad 2011 describes this family portrait as having “loving involvement,” with Aten shining before them with rays ending in hands to “offer ankhs before their nostrils, giving them the breath of life.” (71)
Having Nefertiti depicted alongside her husband in her cap-crown signifies her place as a woman and creates a path for her daughters’ that is one of the same: full of distinction that promotes gender equality and advancements for woman.
http://www.ancient-egypt.co.uk/ashmolean/pages/2005-mar-11%20406.htm
The colors of blue, green, gold and red within her bust fixated our view on her and carried over to modern takes of femininity and power. According to Mary Abram’s essay The Power Behind the Crown: Messages Worn by Three New Kingdom Egyptian Queens Nefertiti’s crown was designed to be a “tall, straight-edged and flat-topped blue crown. Its color and shape suggest that it was the female version of the Khepresh, the blue leather war crown covered by protective discs and worn by Egyptian kings.” (Abram, 2007. 10) Not only did the shape of her cap denote power, a relief block found at Hermopolis shows Nefertiti on a boat smiting her enemy. This image resembles a relief from Pre-Dynasty times of the Palette of Narmer who stands before his foe (the King of Lower Egypt) wielding a mace overhead.
This continues to define Nefertiti as stepping into a role that has been exclusive to King’s and is an “indication of her increased ritual and/or political importance.” (Abram, 2007. 10)
The exclusivity that comes in wearing a crown fit for a King, provides a need for protection that becomes offered through the stylized emblem of the uraeus or upright cobra. The gold cobra is “an aggressive guardian,” (Abram, 4) who lifts our focus to the height of the cap and continues to extend all the way back across the top of the head. “Its appearance on the head of a queen implied more than defense. It not only marked her connection with the king and her royal status, it “carried references to Wadjyt and other female deities on the one hand, and to solar mythology on the other””(Abram, 4) The crown as noted is a strong component to our understanding of Nefertiti and her power; it highlights a respected leader beyond beauty and also provides view of the facial features that came to define her beauty.
In definition beauty is referenced as “a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form” [1] and as such, Nefertiti bounds us to this aesthetic nature that appealed in the Armana period and also to society today. In collecting a visual catalog of woman in the form of Nefertiti, I sought to relate what was found and newly addressed based on sculptural figure. The number of images found happened to equal in number, and also placed attention mostly to the crown.
Cankech 2010 strongly speaks of the damage caused by Western contextualization of Nefertiti’s figure and the after-affects for little Black girls who have little chance of recalling the Egyptian Queen as a woman of color. The depth of reintroducing Nefertiti as a White woman fulfills the message that light skin reflects beauty, and unconsciously states Black, is not.
The portrayal of Nefertiti as seen in the 1961 film Nefertiti: Queen of the Nile reiterates the placement of white woman to that of women of color. The actress embodies the forward glance that is seen in Nefertiti’s original bust, and commands the screen with intention. This finding of Nefertiti reflects a 54 year difference to the images found today that act as Nefertiti, and just like the outlined fashion images, she denotes an authority, taken from a Queen of color, and claims that rule for those she reflects.
http://www.maryloucinnamon.com/2012/04/walk-like-egyptian.html
Nefertiti images in today’s world become blurred by the term “inspiration;” it stops maintaining historical reference of ethnicity and dismisses concern when the question of appropriation is posed. A loss of identity is present in modern takes of Nefertiti, and can be thought of as being masked by materialistic qualities that are wrapped up in fashion lines and imagery. It can, however also be said that the identity of Nefertiti is being revisited through ideality and thus, that powerful embodiment she possesses is being brought to the forefront. This is not a statement to categorize either as right or wrong, it is an observation of what is happening within new takes on Nefertiti’s image, and although they at times reflect a white model, they still house her spirit.
As seen below, a woman of light skin wears a white petal crown with a hint of yellow at the base and green satin wraps around her head as a base for the expanding lily petal to fill the regal form of Nefertiti. There is a calm elegance with the exposure of skin and neckline, and a reflective downward look that is unlike the original bust, and this figure also holds a single lily to play on the notion of growth, and blossoming quality within a woman.
http://techgnotic.deviantart.com/art/Lily-of-the-Nile-Nefertiti-200796909
As beautiful and appealing as the modern day images are for their innovative qualities, the visibility of power and honor in positive reference to historical Black figures and their continued importance today, becomes marginalized and offers little resemblance for the dark skinned beauty to see.
We live in a world of difference, and what defines each of us, needs a mirror. Images of Nefertiti with dark skin need to exist and have a place to belong in their natural, beautiful, Black way, just as they (images) need to be open to be defined outside of the margins of what they were. We can’t exclude and restrict Nefertiti as a singular Black beauty, or that of a light-skinned or white beauty. The question of Cultural appropriation then shifts from the accuracy of showing Nefertiti in one light over the other, and begs to ask: will the difference erase the original Black Queen, and tie her only to a history that celebrates Whiteness?
As documented in the Discovery Channel’s film “Queen Nefertiti” The Most Beautiful Face of Egypt, Nefertiti is said to have vanished from history for a decade. Do the now proposed Nefertiti-like images bury her original form from our consciousness and continue in a sense to remove her from history, or does it instead, revisit and peak interest for an ever-changing generation?
John Galliano’s 2004 runway show brings forth symbols and iconic Ancient Egyptian people, sculpture and gives life to them in the fashion world. The historical presence of beautiful Kingly Queen fill out his designs, and with an over-exaggerated play to her eyes, a thick black line goes along the outside of brow line and wraps down to the outside corner of the eye that is dabbed with layers of gold glitter. A golden beard defines the cheekbones and brings our attention down to the point studded collar that reflects Nefertiti as royalty. To note where Galliano got his inspiration, he states “I imagined Princess Tutankhamun, Nefertiti, and put them together.” [1]
A fashion designer who recently ventured into the world of cosmetics, showcases an alternate way of visiting the beauty within Nefertiti’s image. The way Louboutin takes what is part of the symbolic traits associated with Nefertiti’s bust and places it in a functional new way to look at lipstick, is gaining inspiration from her original form. The offence from coloring the model pink and filtering her with the background, is still a factor not to be overlooked, but the concept of his design fundamentally employs what it means to be inspired.
christianlouboutin.com/ca_en/news/en_seal-it-with-a-kiss-introducing-christian-louboutin-lip-colour/http://us.
The alternating scaled tipped to smooth body vials and complete rendering of marks that scale down the tube to a fine point, literally play upon the collars reflection of light. There are jewels circling the base of the crown and finally they can attach to an elaborate chain that has weight and substance, or it can have the simplicity of a ribbon to tie around the neck, or body, and it can also take the place of an earring. This design revolutionizes the way we physically keep lipstick on us, by way of re-picturing it as a jewel in it of itself and without Nefertiti as it’s base of inspiration, it may not have come in existence.
Nefertiti’s image is being both appropriated and used as an act of inspiration; it is showcased in Advan Matthew’s delicate and angelic representation of Nefertiti in full dress, addressing her power and beauty at the same time. The doubling of model Kelly Tan reemphasizes the uprightness of her crown that is reflecting light at the front of the body and face, and being in shadows along the back of the head and neck. The quality of light juxtaposed with dark, highlight the features that are of most important in Nefertiti’s bust. The viewer’s attention falls not only to the tip of the hair-crown, it meets the face and gradually moves down to the gold sequin studded dress. With Matthew’s take on Nefertiti’s bust lending itself to the color of gold, it is Forget Me Not’s stylistic approach that leaps forward into inspiration based on color, and the use of that through repeating patterns and shapes.
http://www.antimonide.com/tag/forget-me-not-scarves/
Fabric scarves continue to tie the history of a people in this case, African history, to the past and present and reclaim its servitude function to that of crown. In her essay The African American Woman’s Headwrap: Unwinding the Symbols, Helen Griebel concludes “over time, the headwrap, displays a dynamic quality in gathering new meanings and shedding older nuances.” The images below come back to this reclamation of not only Black beauty, it repositions woman of color in view as being “[resistant] to the loss of self definition.”
In conclusion the original bust of Nefertiti provides a strong base of visibility for Black woman, that through interpretations lessens her standing in society on the context of Race. Nefertiti therefore has a transforming quality after (mis)representing her figure (ethnically,) and leaving only the ideals behind. The left-over beauty as seen in Nefertiti’s form, focuses on identifying Nefertiti, not as a Black Queen or merely a white Queen, but of a woman who positioned herself in a Kingly way. The selected modern day images they too position themselves in a way that is Queen-like, favorable to that of not only Black woman, but all women with no distinction between ethnicity.
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