LINDA SAPHAN

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Paradox Series

Abandoned Series

Incognito Series

The Incognito series presents Cambodian women dressed in their daily attire. The Khmer society is traditionally constraining, with a particularly tight grasp on the younger generation. As a white, clear complexion is highly praised in Cambodia, Khmer young women move around in the day with their skin covered to protect them from the sun and pollution. Thus the clothing provides them with protection while covering and concealing their identities. This sense of anonymity allows women more freedom in the city. They can pass without much notice or attention, and many women value the secrecy and privacy the concealment provides. New opportunities for interaction are thus created, breaking with the traditional and illustrating a unique contrast with the religious and traditional concealment of Muslim women. Incognito depicts the Asian woman in a context very different from that of the exotic and submissive object portrayed all too often in the media.