Clothing was first used to protect the body… from the burning sun, from rain, from cold. It was also used to cover the body’s private parts. Then it became something functional—outfitted for work—then more decorative and attractive. Human invented fashion and styles that never stop changing. There are places where everyone wears the same clothing, a uniform: school, army, under certain regimes such as Maoist China where blue was everyone’s color. Using her skills to build on this idea of uniform, the fledgling photographer digs into the deep questions of identity. She asked everyone, male or female, whatever their age, to put on one of her dresses. Did they all turn out the same? No. They are different, or at least they look different from the way they usually look. Some men in a dress look feminine, while others come across more masculine that ever. Some older women look younger, while for others, putting on an unsuitable dress makes them look out of sync with their real age. Children make us laugh when they put on a dress that is too big, but who knows, is there a hint of their future sexual preference?
Dareth Rosaline lives and works in Phnom Penh.
Born in 1993 in Phnom Penh, this young photography enthusiast contributes to the Phnom Penh Post’s LIFT magazine and also for the DMCPOST website. She graduated from Pannasasstra International School and is continuing her studies in the Department of Media and Communications at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.
Photo Phnom Penh festival
From December 8 – 13, 2012
Phnom Penh
Cambodia
