The girl who returned my gaze with a bobble seemed to have a competitive streak
In the bustle of Yangon, I came across a spirited young girl. When I raised my camera, she showed none of the shyness or coy laughter so common among women being photographed. Instead, she shot back a look that felt almost like a challenge, as if to say, “Go on, take it if you dare.” I found myself wondering whether I had come here to take photographs—or to have my resolve tested by them. I’d had similar encounters in India and Bangladesh, but in Yangon, such fiery defiance in a child was rare.
Her cheeks were dusted with pale thanaka, the traditional Burmese cosmetic. Locals say it wards off the sun and insects, but more often it functions simply as habit, part of the everyday attire. To an outsider it looks strange, like a mixture of sunscreen and face powder, but in Myanmar it is as ordinary as breathing. Walk through the markets or alleys of Yangon and you’ll see it on everyone—young and old alike. This girl, too, was just one more bearer of that tradition. Thanaka itself does not make a person bold, of course, yet in her gaze there was something unshakable, a steady core. Perhaps she saw me as the one shrinking back, while she, small as she was, stood firmly in her own world.
| Aug 2010 MYANMAR PEOPLE | |
| FACE GIRL THANAKA YANGON |
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PHOTO DATA
No
4403
Shooting Date
Mar 2010
Posted On
August 1, 2010
Modified On
September 10, 2025
Place
Yangon, Myanmar
Genre
Portrait Photography
Camera
CANON EOS 1V
Lens
EF85MM F1.2L II USM
