The women in the picture below are used as a backdrop for the beautiful white European in the pink dress. The Africans in this picture are all smirking, looking straight forward or down at the ground. All of the women are dressed in their traditional clothing: bright orange dresses with numerous beaded articles. The white woman, wearing a pink dress and a hat, looks in the opposite direction than that of the African women. She is the first thing that catches the eye of the consumer. She seems to be looking over the Kikuyu women, at something in the distance. The Kikuyu women are treated as the 'other.' She holds her hands together as if she is thinking about something, hoping to see an animal, perhaps. She has no concern for the women that she is modeling with. Both the white woman and the African women have nothing in common. There are no words written on the advertisement itself to bring the two together. It seems as if there is no reason for this ad, until consumers flip it over.

On the back of this advertisement, taken from Vogue magazine, is the title: "Vogue's eye view of the porcelain girl in the land of the lion." The magazine typifies Africa according to its wildlife by referring to it as the "land of the lion." In a paragraph beneath this title, Vogue discusses their reasons for sending the "porcelain girl" to Kenya. "She emerged from the African sun still candid, cool and pretty irresistible." The magazine stereotypes Kenya to be foreign, wild and hot. They insist that even their 'porcelain girl' can survive under these conditions. She doesn't communicate with Africans at all, simply models with them, for they are still treated as the 'other.'

The pastoralists in this advertisement are also posing as background for this St. John's line of dress. The men look straight ahead while, once again, the blonde in the pink dress looks in a completely different direction. The pastoralists have the same facial expression as the Kikuyu women in the advertisement used above. They are very serious, and show no emotion. The men were obviously paid to pose for this ad, but why would they agree to it? As mentioned above, much of their land is being taken over by the government. As a result of this, and many other factors, (which could write an entire paper), they are open to opportunities to make money. Although the ad can easily be compared to that of the Vogue ad used above, there are also apparent differences in the two. First is facial expression. The woman in this advertisement is smiling while in the ad above, the woman looked as if she was contemplating something. In this ad one can almost have a conversation with the woman. Who is she smiling at? Could she be laughing at the sheer irony behind the ad? Is the photographer making her giggle? Whatever the situation, it probably has nothing to do with the pastoralists behind her.

Another difference between the two ads is her pose. She stands as if she is uncomfortable. She looks as if she is ready to walk away from the photo shoot. Her arms are crossed in front of her, which usually means that a person is closed up, or shy. It is evident that she is in an uncomfortable situation; as if she is ready to leave as soon as possible.

A different situation in which Africans are used to pose with white models is the 1998 swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated. Editors visited the Maasai in Kenya in order to gain unique photographs for their special issue. They paid elders $1,000 cash for their poses. The introduction to the article pokes fun at American culture in an effort to explain some unique parts of Maasai tradition. For example, "Of course, if Clinton did this to an intern, it would be on the cover of Time...Instead of kissing his girlfriend, a young man will hold her hand and flick his braids across her face." The article made an attempt to illustrate Maasai culture in the text, relating it to something going on in the United States at the time. The pictures, however, tell an entirely different story. "'Supermodel,' it turns out, is something that everyone understands."

The first full page photograph (seen below) is of Laetitia Casta wearing a zebra-striped bikini. She wears high heels on her feet. She is holding her butt out against a Maasai house (made of sticks and mud), sticking her breasts out. Her eyes look down at the camera; she has a seductive look on her face. Two Maasai warriors stand next to her, fully covered in blankets. They are wearing beaded jewelry, and sandals on their dirty feet. They have no expression on their faces; they look straight ahead of them, almost as if they are ignorant to the fact that a supermodel is posing right next to them. Although this is not an advertisement, the photographs do show the same aspects that are illustrated in each of the other fashion advertisements.

In another picture, four warriors are sitting with their knees up in front of them. They are dressed in traditional, exotic clothing and all of them are holding sticks in their hands. (Most Maasai always carry something in their hands in case they are ever attacked.) Casta crouches in front of them, wearing a bathing suit, of course, but also clutching a stick. She gazes out into the plain, with a half-smile on her face. One warrior is glaring straight into the camera; the others are also looking out into the plain. The warriors act as a background for this exotic setting for a bathing suit model. They bring the exoticism, the mystery, the environment; they are the other. What people really stare at in this case is the supermodel.