Learning with The Irrawaddy, No. 45 To accompany the July 2010 issue of The Irrawaddy magazine. Selected article: Burmese Bikini Model Draws Heat A. Activities before reading 1. Modelling Discuss these questions. What is a model? What do models do? Do you know anyone who is a model? What work have they done? 2. Predict from the title and picture. The title of this article is Burmese Bikini Model Draws Heat.. a. Look at the photo from the article. What is a bikini? b. Have you heard the idiom to draw the heat? What does it mean? 3. Predict from key words and phrases These words and phrases are used in the article. What do you think the article will say? a. critics b. internet c. not appropriate d. magazine covers e. swimsuit f. creating art g. frowned on h. culture The Curriculum Project 2010 Page 1 of 5 www.curriculumproject.org
B. Activities during reading 4. Match the meaning Here are some phrases from the article. Choose the phrase that is closest in meaning. a. Some Burmese critics have taken issue with Honey Oo i. They have gone to her house to argue with her ii. They have bought magazines with Honey Oo in them iii. They want to arrest her and send her to jail iv. They disagree with her and her actions b. she was spotted by a local modeling agency. i. The modeling agency saw her and offered her some work. ii. The modeling agency spied on her and told the authorities iii. The modeling agency made posters of her iv. The modeling agency followed her home c. I just want people to consider that I am creating art and doing a job. i. I also paint pictures for my work. ii. My job is similar to other types of artist iii. I have to work at two jobs. iv. I want people to like my work. d. modeling is still frowned on by many in Burma s social arena. i. Many people in Burma want to become models. ii. Models don t get invited to parties in Burma. iii. Models are very popular in Burma. iv. Many people in Burma think modeling is bad. e...people should pay less attention to culture while judging us. i. People should not think about Burmese culture when they look at us. ii. Models have to wear clothes that are part of traditional Burmese culture. iii. In fashion shows, the clothes that win are not traditional. iv. Traditional culture is too old-fashioned to accept modeling. 5. Vocabulary Go through the article and underline the words you don t know. In groups, find out the meanings of these words. The Curriculum Project 2010 Page 2 of 5 www.curriculumproject.org
6. True or false? If false, write a true sentence. a. Honey Oo s real name is Hazel Moe. b. People in Burma saw her photographs in Burmese magazines. c. Honey Oo is studying business, and she has two part-time jobs. d. She thinks some Burmese people don t like women wearing bikinis. e. She thinks her modeling job is similar to other art forms, i.e painting, drawing, poetry, photography. f. Fewer people are interested in modeling because of television advertising. g. According to Chan Chan, people like to see new clothing designs. h. Chan Chan thinks models cannot choose what clothes they wear. 7. Summarise the opinions There are two opinions represented here. Some people think Burmese women modeling bikinis is OK, others think that this is not OK. List the viewpoints expressed in the article. Modeling bikinis is OK Modeling bikinis is not OK - I am creating art and doing a job - Images are not appropriate for a Burmese woman. C. Activities after reading 8. What do you think? a. Do you think Honey Oo should model bikinis? Why/why not? b. Work in groups. List the arguments for or against Burmese women modeling bikinis (and other clothes that are not traditional Burmese women s wear). c. Put your list on the wall. Go around the room and read other people s lists. 9. Modeling the issues Here are some people s opinions on modeling and fashion. Were these opinions mentioned in the lists from exercise 8? Which ones do you agree with? a. If we want to be a modern country, we have to accept modern things, like women wearing bikinis and short skirts b. Pictures of women in bikinis make them look like sex workers. It is wrong for women to dress like that. They should wear modest clothes. c. Modeling is bad for women, because it only shows women who are young, thin and lightskinned. Women who do not look like that feel bad about their appearance. d. People like to look at pictures of attractive men and women. Businesses can use this to help sell their products, which is good for the economy. e. If people see pictures of beautiful Burmese women, they will want to visit our country. We should be proud that people think our women are beautiful. f. Sexy models make people think women should be judged by their appearance, not by their intelligence or other abilities. The Curriculum Project 2010 Page 3 of 5 www.curriculumproject.org
10. What is the advertisement really saying? Here are some advertisements from around the world. These advertisements all use models to help sell their product. Work in groups. For each picture: a. What are they selling? b. What are the models doing? c. What is the message in the advertisement? 1. 2. 3. 4. The Curriculum Project 2010 Page 4 of 5 www.curriculumproject.org
Burmese Bikini Model Draws Heat 1. Some Burmese critics have taken issue with Honey Oo (aka Hazel Moe), a part-time model living in London who has publicity photographs of her in a bikini on the Internet, saying that the images are not appropriate for a Burmese woman. The photographs appear on the website of her modeling agency (www.purestorm.com). 2. Honey Oo, who was previously a child model and has posed for magazine covers while in Burma, moved to London when she was 16, where she is studying business management and was spotted by a local modeling agency. She s now working as a sales adviser and modeling part-time. 3. Swimsuits may not be appropriate in Burmese eyes, Honey Oo told The Irrawaddy. I have received many e-mails criticizing me for wearing them. I just want people to consider that I am creating art and doing a job. 4. The role of models in Burma has become a bigger issue following changes in the print media and the production of TV commercials. A Rangoon-based model, Chan Chan, however, said that modeling is still frowned on by many in Burma s social arena. 5. For example, if a dress made by a designer for a catwalk is not familiar to Burmese eyes, people will not like it, she said. Obviously, the way a model dresses is not the same as any other female artist. Because of the way we have to dress, people should pay less attention to culture while judging us. The Curriculum Project 2010 Page 5 of 5 www.curriculumproject.org