Posted: Thu 15 Dec 2005 10:35 Post subject: model Chrystele St Louis Augustin
An interview in Vibe from 1995:
Quote:
Model Chrystele is happy to be nappy. Three years ago she went au naturel after years of doing the chemical thing. "I thought the straight hair was really ugly, and I hated it," she says in her thick French accent. "I think it suits the white girls, but it doesn't suit my hair."
And she was right. In fact, the 22-year-old Chrystele has caused quite a stir in Fashion Land with that hair. Last year, while still a communications student, she tagged along with a friend to an open casting in Paris for a Benetton ad. After getting the job, she went straight to the runway. There she was, in the middle of Paris's fall '94 collections, with only one week of modeling experience under her Afro. "I was feeling like I was from another planet," Chrystele says, laughing. "Everybody wanted to touch me, and I'm, like, `Wow, it's just hair. Calm down!' "
Because of her striking looks, many are quick to assume she's of mixed parentage, but Chrystele is obviously bothered by the suggestion. "It's completely wrong. My parents are both from Caribbean islands. My dad is from Martinique and my mom from Guadeloupe," she huffs. "They're both black, and that's it. I am black girl."
Posted: Thu 15 Dec 2005 15:39 Post subject: Re: Chrystele St Louis Augustin
Phil345 wrote:
An interview in Vibe from 1995:
Quote:
Model Chrystele is happy to be nappy. Three years ago she went au naturel after years of doing the chemical thing. "I thought the straight hair was really ugly, and I hated it," she says in her thick French accent. "I think it suits the white girls, but it doesn't suit my hair."
And she was right. In fact, the 22-year-old Chrystele has caused quite a stir in Fashion Land with that hair. Last year, while still a communications student, she tagged along with a friend to an open casting in Paris for a Benetton ad. After getting the job, she went straight to the runway. There she was, in the middle of Paris's fall '94 collections, with only one week of modeling experience under her Afro. "I was feeling like I was from another planet," Chrystele says, laughing. "Everybody wanted to touch me, and I'm, like, `Wow, it's just hair. Calm down!' "
Because of her striking looks, many are quick to assume she's of mixed parentage, but Chrystele is obviously bothered by the suggestion. "It's completely wrong. My parents are both from Caribbean islands. My dad is from Martinique and my mom from Guadeloupe," she huffs. "They're both black, and that's it. I am black girl."
Posted: Sat 31 Dec 2005 21:06 Post subject: Re: Chrystele St Louis Augustin
Quote:
Because of her striking looks, many are quick to assume she's of mixed parentage, but Chrystele is obviously bothered by the suggestion. "It's completely wrong. My parents are both from Caribbean islands. My dad is from Martinique and my mom from Guadeloupe," she huffs. "They're both black, and that's it. I am black girl."
Why wouldn't people assume that she is of mixed parentage, or at least a person of mixed background, when she is so obviously non-black in appearance? Indeed, her ambiguous look may have been what made her popular in the world of modeling
Even in her parents' homelands a person like her would not be seen as black. Writers from the French Caribbean like Maryse Conde and Patrick Chamouseau describe in their books a French Caribbean in which there are a number of ways of describing people based on their supposed racial and ethnic background.
Posted: Wed 04 Jan 2006 15:10 Post subject: Re: Chrystele St Louis Augustin
G-Man wrote:
Quote:
Because of her striking looks, many are quick to assume she's of mixed parentage, but Chrystele is obviously bothered by the suggestion. "It's completely wrong. My parents are both from Caribbean islands. My dad is from Martinique and my mom from Guadeloupe," she huffs. "They're both black, and that's it. I am black girl."
Why wouldn't people assume that she is of mixed parentage, or at least a person of mixed background, when she is so obviously non-black in appearance? Indeed, her ambiguous look may have been what made her popular in the world of modeling
I dont think it was even understood that she was black at all. Most people (like myself) assumed she was white, and when she started wearing her hair natural, they then suspected that she might have some mixed background. Even with the hair i thought she was just white, like one of those rare nappy headed white people (i.e Bob Ross); she does not look at all 'ambigous' to me.
But it goes to show that the phenomenon of people with white phenotype identifying as 100% black is not exclusive to the united states....like some people would say.
Posted: Wed 04 Jan 2006 21:18 Post subject: Re: Chrystele St Louis Augustin
Phil345 wrote:
G-Man wrote:
Quote:
Because of her striking looks, many are quick to assume she's of mixed parentage, but Chrystele is obviously bothered by the suggestion. "It's completely wrong. My parents are both from Caribbean islands. My dad is from Martinique and my mom from Guadeloupe," she huffs. "They're both black, and that's it. I am black girl."
Why wouldn't people assume that she is of mixed parentage, or at least a person of mixed background, when she is so obviously non-black in appearance? Indeed, her ambiguous look may have been what made her popular in the world of modeling
I dont think it was even understood that she was black at all. Most people (like myself) assumed she was white, and when she started wearing her hair natural, they then suspected that she might have some mixed background. Even with the hair i thought she was just white, like one of those rare nappy headed white people (i.e Bob Ross); she does not look at all 'ambigous' to me.
But it goes to show that the phenomenon of people with white phenotype identifying as 100% black is not exclusive to the united states....like some people would say.
From the article you posted it was assumed by both the author and others that she was of mixed parentage or mixed background, something she flatly denies. In fact when I first saw her in magazines and a one of Maxwell's videos I knew she had some African ancestry; I didn't see her as white. Of course she may appear differently to different people. In any case, her claim that she is 100% black is laughable given her appearance and the author's raising the question about her background.
I would be curious to see how common this embrace of ODR is in France. It may or may not be all that common among the population there. Chrystele St Louis Augustin may or may not be atypical.
Historically, at least, this is not the case in her parents' Caribbean homeland, so she might have developed this either in her native France or her travels abroad.
"laughable" isnt the word I would use- as it implies ridicule. If thats how she sees herself and her parents, then thats indeed what she is. I just find it to be interesting.
Last edited by Phil345 on Wed 04 Jan 2006 22:25; edited 1 time in total
Posted: Wed 04 Jan 2006 22:16 Post subject: Re: Chrystele St Louis Augustin
Phil345 wrote:
But it goes to show that the phenomenon of people with white phenotype identifying as 100% black is not exclusive to the united states....like some people would say.
Lately, I have been trying to help Salsassin with a Wikipedia article on Black (People). Its goal is to explain how the term is used (beyond its denoting members of the USAmerican ethnic group). One of the intersting things that contributors have uncovered is the number of socio-political groups in India, Australia, the Philipines, and apparently elsewhere who consider themselves "Black" despite having no connection to the African slave Diaspora. To quote from the article:
Wikipedia Article wrote:
Due to the perceived success of the U.S. civil rights movement of 1955-1975, some oppressed and marginalized populations around the world have adopted the rhetoric of the U.S. Black movement, including that of labeling themselves "Black." This self-identity has been encouraged and even funded by liberal U.S. organizations who believe that the first step in achieving social justice outside the United States is to impose a U.S.-like endogamous barrier between "oppressed" and "oppressor", so that no individual can claim to belong to both sides.
Posted: Fri 06 Jan 2006 17:42 Post subject: Re: Chrystele St Louis Augustin
G-Man wrote:
Phil345 wrote:
G-Man wrote:
Quote:
Because of her striking looks, many are quick to assume she's of mixed parentage, but Chrystele is obviously bothered by the suggestion. "It's completely wrong. My parents are both from Caribbean islands. My dad is from Martinique and my mom from Guadeloupe," she huffs. "They're both black, and that's it. I am black girl."
Why wouldn't people assume that she is of mixed parentage, or at least a person of mixed background, when she is so obviously non-black in appearance? Indeed, her ambiguous look may have been what made her popular in the world of modeling
I dont think it was even understood that she was black at all. Most people (like myself) assumed she was white, and when she started wearing her hair natural, they then suspected that she might have some mixed background. Even with the hair i thought she was just white, like one of those rare nappy headed white people (i.e Bob Ross); she does not look at all 'ambigous' to me.
But it goes to show that the phenomenon of people with white phenotype identifying as 100% black is not exclusive to the united states....like some people would say.
From the article you posted it was assumed by both the author and others that she was of mixed parentage or mixed background, something she flatly denies. In fact when I first saw her in magazines and a one of Maxwell's videos I knew she had some African ancestry; I didn't see her as white. Of course she may appear differently to different people. In any case, her claim that she is 100% black is laughable given her appearance and the author's raising the question about her background.
I would be curious to see how common this embrace of ODR is in France. It may or may not be all that common among the population there. Chrystele St Louis Augustin may or may not be atypical.
Actually I don't think it can be related to the One Drop Rule, I think that complicates it, how or why people in other countries may identify as Black. I've spoken to a vew biracial and mixed people who identify as Black, but it's not even related to the ODR, as far as I've heard. It's almost equivalent to being called Exotic or something like that. Boris Kodjoe, Sade, the Bran Nubians (1/2French 1/2African)sisters Naomi Campbell
Historically, at least, this is not the case in her parents' Caribbean homeland, so she might have developed this either in her native France or her travels abroad.
Joined: 03 Jun 2005 {Posts: 274 } Location: California
Posted: Thu 26 Jan 2006 21:49 Post subject:
I saw he on the street in Paris last Sept. and she is just as beautiful in person! She's my favorite model.
Actually, I understand her self-definition because I share it. I don't think she's an ODR, but both of her parents are 'colored' (my word) and she is proud of it. Her father is Martiniquan and her mother is Guadaloupan- both from French departments that were former slave colonies.
If I remember correctly, according to a very old article I read years ago, people had made such a big to-do over her hair because they could not believe a white girl would have such hair. Guess what? She doesn't consider herself white, but Creole. That is a different slice of French culture.
ODR= 'black' would not make sense for someone with ancestry from the Antilles. There are many terms for skin color in the Antilles that don't translate well to the metropolitan gallic French, and don't translate at all in english.
In America, to many people, 'black' = people of non-100% African ancestry. In France 'black' = African. Pure African, no admixture.
And a person from (or ancestry in) the French Antilles, with both parents from the French Antilles would not want to be mistaken for a bi-racial person. They prefer to be labeled by their French Carribean country of ancestry. Or called 'Antillais(e)'.It's a totally different history/ culture from bi-racials (who could be half African, etc.), and they are fiercely proud of their culture.
A lot of this comes from a sister n law who is a hair dresser, but I've always noticed that her roots were always kinky, her hair was always like someone who put a straightening comb thru it and nothing more
The difference between one drop rule in the US and other countries is that In the US the separation line is one way. If you look mixed you are expected to identify as Black, never White. In other countries, mixed people have chosen white, black or mixed depending on their socio-cultural experience. In Peru we also have light skinned Black people; But we also have mestizos, zamobs, mulatos and even whites the same color and phenotype.
Joined: 05 Mar 2006 {Posts: 33 } Location: Colorado
Posted: Sat 18 Mar 2006 07:27 Post subject:
I can identify with this.
Salsassin wrote:
The difference between one drop rule in the US and other countries is that In the US the separation line is one way. If you look mixed you are expected to identify as Black, never White. In other countries, mixed people have chosen white, black or mixed depending on their socio-cultural experience. In Peru we also have light skinned Black people; But we also have mestizos, zamobs, mulatos and even whites the same color and phenotype.
'
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