N°6
June 2023
This new issue is all about the bimbo! A used and abused archetype, often employed to put down women who play the game of femininity a little too well, that has recently been proudly brought back into use by women who are reappropriating the term to take back the power of their image.
Conversation
GLORIA STEINEM
A feminist icon at 89, her own story is intertwined with the history of women’s rights she had such a hand in shaping. Exclusive interview of Gloria Steinem. —Texte : Clarence Edgard-Rosa.
Art Herstory
The Odalisque
What if we rewrote part of art history by giving voice to the women in our paintings? In this issue, we tell the story of a woman who grew tired of being an exotic decoration. — Words : Inès Geoffroy. Picture : Albertine Hadj.
Icon
Warda
What is an Arab diva? A woman with the power to bring generations together with her voice? For Selma, that woman is Warda, who has helped her to tighten her links with Algeria, the country of her roots. —Words : Selma Chougar.
Special
BIMBO
Who’s afraid of the bimbos? In this special, we examine this despised and recently rehabilitated figure, which crystallizes our tug-of-war with the codes and the performance of femininity.
Female legacy
Picture perfect
Encounter with the American photographer Kaitlin Maxwell and her "Grandma Candy". Between them, the transmission of femininity is done through images and the complexes of the first found their escape in her camera. —Words : Mélissa Chidiac.
Focus
Piece of me
How has pop culture, and especially the media, carefully taught us to scrutinize and despise bimbos? An essay by Jennifer Padjemi illustrated by an exclusive Britney Spears tribute series by Lisa Miquet.
Culture list
What gaze reads and watches
In these pages inspired by our Gaze Letter, we recommend movies, series and books to embrace or question your "bimbo energy".
Pas de deux
Cagoles 4 ever
Vulgar, provocative, too loud... The cagole is an emblematic figure in the South of France, who rubs people up the wrong way because she does not fit with societal expectations of what a woman should be. In Marseille, we brought together two Miss Cagoles - Cécile Hibernac, crowned in 1997, and Nazélie Mungan, in 2022 - who share a love for an unloved term. — Words: Margaux Mazellier. Pictures: Manel Gemma Muse.
Portfolio
Clinquant !
Authenticity is key for anyone labeled a bimbo. Natural or silicon? Legit or counterfeit? Sincere or perform? With a series of portraits entitled Tales of Lipstick and Virtue, Anna Ehrenstein takes us to Albania, where femininity is a curious blend of real and fake.
Essay
BIMBOLAND
From intrusive stares to catcalls, and inquisitive looks to attempts at intimidation, dressing full-glam in public is no walk in the park. — Words & images : Claire Roussel.
Conversation
The “doll” effect
The 'doll' label adopted by some trans women speaks to the power of femininity: for them, the aesthetics of the doll are a tool for revenge on a transphobic society that has disregarded them for too long. But far more than that, it is a whole identity, as we discovered during a conversation between three dolls. — Interview : Claude-Emmanuelle Gaja-Maull.
Archive
Soraya RHazel
There are moments that we keep in our archives to admire the journey we've made. A former vixen, Soraya Rhazel has moved to the other side of the camera to produce the rap videos in which she once appeared. — Interview : Mélissa Chidiac.
Cahier
Readers’ confessions
“Has your appearance ever spoken for you?” We asked our readers this question to find out whether you had ever been judged too quickly on your looks, just like the 'bimbos' in this issue.
Love letter
Zoubida Yasmine Tabti
In each issue, we publish a woman's love letter to herself. With the rest of the world working against our self-esteem, it's time to make our own declaration of self-love, in a revolutionary act that's just as difficult as it is life-changing. — Photo : Yosra Farrouj.
Open call
“Too much”
The winner of our “Too much” themed open call for photography is French performer Garance Bonotto !
Portfolio
Leaving a mark
Following the sudden death of her mother, photographer Rebekka Deubner created photograms of her clothes, which would become the witnesses to an absent body. The resulting images are a compelling, modest visual love letter from daughter to mother.
Conversation
Nose jobs
Ani and Anahita are bound by a common hang-up. Respectively French with Armenian heritage and Belgian-Iranian, both women's noses occupy central positions in their two different cultures. It has become such an obsession, that they have embarked on a project that makes noses a subject of serious research, in an attempt to understand preconceived notions. — Texte : Ani Khatchikian et Anahita Delcorde. Image : Judith Rita Nanyonga.
Anticipation
alligatorama
In each issue of Gaze, a different author takes a deep dive into the future, with an original piece of speculative fiction. This time, Martine Delvaux takes us to a future where dominating relationships are a distant memory. — Illustrations : Pauline Mauruschat.
