Fabrizio del Wrongo writes:
If the selfie is the premier photographic genre of our age, then I name Shu Qi as its queen.
Are you all familiar with Shu Qi? She’s a Taiwanese model and actress best known in the West for her appearance opposite Jason Statham in the first “Transporter” film. But she’s also served as the muse for renowned arthouse director Hou Hsaio-hsien. In Hou’s 2001 “Millennium Mambo” Qi is framed as the embodiment of youth and freedom. The movie’s melancholy stems from Hou’s contemplation of the much younger actress; his camera often seems to be trying to reconcile his eroticized fascination with the shallow reality of her character’s day-to-day life. (It’s reminiscent of the way Godard looked at Anna Karina in the ’60s.)
But enough of that: The point of this post is to celebrate Qi’s talents as a selfie artiste. Below is a gallery of some of the selfies she’s posted on her public Facebook page, which you can “like” by clicking here. They run the gamut of common snapshot moods, from consumer-y self-satisfaction to semi-canned tourist excitement to the burnished ennui familiar from upscale architecture mags and old Antonioni movies. As you’ll no doubt notice, she’s also a master of the second most important photographic genre of our age — the look-at-what-I’m-about-to-eat food shot.
Which is your favorite?
Related
- I posted the terrific opening shot of “Millennium Mambo” here.
- Some smart thoughts on selfies from PR.
- Yowza (NSFW).
Blowhard, Esq.
Callowman
Sherbrooke
Eddie Pensier
Enzo Nakamura
Epaminondas
Fabrizio del Wrongo
Fenster
Brundle Guy
Glynn Marshes
Paleo Retiree
Atypical Neurotic
Question Lady
Sax von Stroheim
Sir Barken Hyena
The Mistaken
Uncouth Reflections 
Supercute girl, fun pix. I like her selfie work better than Cindy Sherman’s. Do you suppose Shu Qi realizes she’s working in the tradition of Cindy Sherman? Or has Cindy Sherman lost all relevance, having been trampled by the kajillions of selfies everyone in the world is now taking and publishing?
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LOL. I suspect SQ is completely oblivious to Cindy Sherman. Probably for the best, really…
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No doubt.
Are those Penthouse shots really of her? Hot pix but … she looks so young in her selfies, yet the Penthouse shots are apparently from 15 years ago. Is that possible?
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Yeah, that’s her. She was born in ’76, so she was 20 or 21 in the nude pics. Hard to believe she’s nearly 40 now. The first time I heard of her was as a nude model. Wikipedia also mentions a Playboy pictorial. Wonder if it was the same set of photos.
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Update: I guess they are of her. She apparently started out as a teen doing softcore porn.
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All actresses should be required to do sotfcore porn before hitting it big.
For Peter R:
http://www.peeperz.com/demi-moore-nude-in-penthouse-spain-1981/
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Awesome; not only GNP, but before Demi had this done.
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You mean they aren’t now? Somebody’s been lying to me about Hollywood
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