Abstract:
Smoking hot: the odalisque’s eroticizing cigarette.
‘Smoking concubines reveal to us the secret of the harem’, professor Luthmer explained in 1894. This promising image is a sign board to invite tourists to the worlds of the Orient, developed by the occident to escape daily life, eroticized by the tales of 1001 nights. Hidden in the harem, painting made the odalisque available for western eyes: lounging, dancing and above all, blatantly smoking. Fumes evoked dreams and hallucinations, as well as steamy sexual suggestions. European women were not allowed to have a cigarette between their lips; this was the emblem for prostitutes. Zooming in on Egypt, a pinch of pharaonic elegance is added. Indeed, Egyptian tobacco was famous and used in the production of western cigarettes. Sold in eye-catching tin boxes, the decoration of Egyptian landscapes soon changed into better selling eastern beauties, obviously tempting potential male users. Even nowadays Katy Perry dresses up as Cleopatra and wants to be made ‘your Aphrodite’ in her recent song ‘Dark horse’.
Website:
https://www.unige.ch/sciences-societe/geo/erotisation/fr/
Booklet program:
WoD_BOOKLET-PROGRAM_draft20150609