A girl I know via Facebook, whom I do keep in touch with from time to time, runs a blog about pinups. When I got to know her, it was actually more about working online and I didn’t find out till later that she was a pro-Palestinian Israeli who runs a pinup blog, among other things. Recently she wrote a post about Palestinian pinups, in which she articulate thoughts that I would recommend you to read. Click here.
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Palestinian pinups, come from within a culture of dissent. The women are usually depicted as beautiful rather than sexy, but they are definitely an idealized depiction of femininity. The Palestinian pinup is regal, wears traditional embroidery and most typically a head scarf. The art isn’t just decorative, it has symbolic meaning within every element of the composition.
It’s quite astonishing how much is being said about Palestine, through fashion. Proving to me that fashion is just a misused art, that could say so much more than it does. From the K?fiyyah- a subtle but effective protesting tool, popularized during the Second Intifada, to fashion shows boasting the reinvention of traditional Palestinian garb, to full-on protest haute couture.
-Tali Shapiro