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Portraits inspired by The Handmaid’s Tale

A white, wide-brimmed bonnet and a red cloak have come to mean one thing: women’s oppression. Margaret Atwood’s best-selling 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale seared this image into our souls with its depiction of a near-future dystopia in which women are forced into reproductive slavery to bear the children of the elite – and wear this uniform to underline their subservience.

As the show became popular, and the iconography spread, its meaning became diffuse. The Handmaid seemed to evolve from a symbol of advocacy for victims into a way of playacting victimhood.

I shot the portraits inspired by the award-winning TV series The Handmaid’s Tale and it was featured in the commercial below, see if you can spot them!
Promoting the slew of content available on Orange TV (partnered with Canal +, Netflix and OCS), the cinematic spot follows a mum and dad in an identity-bending chase through  universes representing the different genres of cult TV shows like Game Of ThronesThe Handmaid’s Tale and Stranger Things.
François Rousselet directs this cinematic chase through the different film genres available on French multinational telecommunications corporation, Orange TV.
These portraits were shot and graded by myself, and retouched courteously by Tatum Smith.
Thank you Hello Baxter for an amazing shoot.