Romanticizing Colonialism

Rachel from Pop Feminist asked us to consider this new Hermes fashion shoot (see all the pics here). Hermes, as far as I can tell, is a French company gone international. Rachel argues that these images invoke our colonial past. She writes:

These images imply colonialism and glamorize a destructive imperial past (though it's hard to say we're "post colonial"). The choice to make the model Indian wearing British clothing -- at least the riding outfit -- symbolizes the primacy of class power to trump racial "inferiority."

So the images draw on the eroticization of the Other (the Indian model, the elephants, and the exotic fabrics and decoration), but one who is subject to a civilizational project (the riding outfit). And this project has, in these images, turned out beautifully indeed! Nice find, Rachel!