Coppertone Girl in a Racial Riot 💥

The true power of collage rests in the juxtaposition of images and observing how they play against each other. In this collage, Little Miss Coppertone shares the scene with an African-American man being attacked by a police dog during a racial riot. Both images are from the mid 1960s.

The uncanny similarity of these images and the fact that they both deal with skin colour give the artwork an ironic twist.⁠ In 1960s America, ethnicity played a major role in how a person's life played out.⁠ It made the difference between being toyed with by a Cocker Spaniel puppy or attacked by a vicious German Shepherd.⁠

The Coppertone girl image would never fly in today's woke society.⁠ But I do like how well she highlights the clash of 2 different worlds, one of privilege and one of repression.

xJoan