Paris Fashions 1949

Gordon Parks captured this image, titled *Paris Fashions*, during his time working for *Life* magazine. Parks was the first African American photographer to be employed by the magazine, and he used this position to document American life and culture, often with a focus on social justice. Here, we see a model posing in an elegant black suit, cigarette in hand, embodying the aloof sophistication often associated with Parisian fashion. Yet, Parks’s position as an outsider, both as an American and as a Black man in Paris, lends the image a layer of complexity. In many ways, it pushes against traditional representations. Parks’s lens subtly challenges the norms of beauty and representation, offering a nuanced perspective on the fashion world and its relationship to identity. Parks once said, "I suffered evils, but without allowing them to rob me of the freedom to expand." This image stands as a testament to his commitment to expanding our understanding of beauty, and fashion through a more inclusive, multifaceted lens.