Chalk up another reader who thought-hoped-that this was about Chandra Levy.
Are they ever going to find that poor woman?
Aren’t we nearing the year mark in a few months?
Oh boy, thanks for that…put me down as another who’s always wondered about her, particularly in the past 6 months.
I was about 12 or 13 when that issue came out. I remember pulling our copy of National Geographic out of the mailbox and sliding it out of the paper sleeve, only to drop it in shock at these eyes staring back at me. Scared the bejeebers outta me, but as time went on, I thought about what must have been going through her mind at that time…
Anybody else think the “after” photo is just a very poor photo? The lighting is very flat, almost as if it was taken using an on-camera flash of a point&shoot camera. Compare it to the lighting of the original photo. It takes more than a good model to take a good photo.
By the way, the magazine hits the stands this weekend, and there will be a special on MSNBC this Friday at 9 PM ET.
Here’s a link to the NPR story. Apparently, she’s going to be doing quite well thanks to National Geographic. One of the things that National Geographic is going to be paying for her and her family to make a trip to Mecca next year.
I agree with this. At first, I didn’t even think the pictures looked like the same person all that much. The young girl has a very distinctive face. The present day woman looks like her nose and mouth are different, not to mention the eyes. Since I doubt Afghanistan has a very developed cosmetic surgery industry, I’d chalk it up to bad/low lighting. That, and 17 years of constant warfare and oppression have no doubt taken their toll on the poor woman.
Really? The nose might look different, but then I was under the impression that the nose, ears grow throughout life… could be wrong. The lips look the same to me, just paler, and the same with the eyes… the look in her left eye in each picture clinched it for me. As for the rest, I agree that living in Afghanistan for so many years can take a toll on one’s youthful beauty.
you never forget eyes like that. it was interesting to hear that her brother has the same eyes. as for the difference in looks. i would think that years of not having light on your face might make things a bit paler. she has been living under a burqua for quite some time. just lifting it for this photo.
Amazing stuff!
It’s always very interesting to find out about the individuals behind strongly iconic images, isn’t it?
It was a little less mysterious and involved, but I remember being fascinated, when I was younger, to read about Kim Phuc, the naked girl fleeing her napalmed village in the famous photo from the Vietnam War. She lives in Toronto, IIRC, and I believe she’s now a goodwill ambassador or something of the sort.
At any rate, I’m glad to hear that some of the offshoots from the photographs will be used to benefit people in her situation. I read where Nat. Geo. said that the image on the original cover had inspired a great number of people to donate to charity.
Oh, Zyada, I’m honored by what you said (and it so perfectly describes my life that I just had to use it!).
For those commenting on the poor quality of the ‘new’ picture, it seems that when Ms. Gula was rediscovered, she was reluctant to see any of the male photographers, so the photo was taken by a female production director (who I assume wasn’t a professional photographer).
The subsequent photos, which were taken by the professional photographers, are better in quality.