A shopping mall in Badajoz, Spain. An aisle of NYX products in a store in Copenhagen, Denmark. A couple of signs pointing to the nearest beach on an island off of Bali.

 

It may initially seem like these photographs have little in common. However, the overarching presence of imperialism in these communities unite these photographs together.

The shopping mall in Badajoz is called Conquistadores Centro Comercial and features a Burger King, a WOK Buffet, and even a Cines Conquistadores movie theatre.  The perspective on colonization is one that alludes to nationalistic and historic pride. This pride is embedded into normal quotidian life, in which is not uncommon to stumble across a shopping mall such as this one or a university named after Hernán Cortés.

The allusions to imperialism continues into the NYX products, though it be less implicit. The white supremacy embedded into the makeup industry is clearly visible by the minimal range of concealer shades for darker skin. The makeup industry as a whole prioritizes lighter skin colors, focusing more on the Eurocentric makeup experience.

The island of Bali was previously colonized by the Dutch. Now, though Bali is independent and part of Indonesia, it has a large tourist economy. English has become a common language in Bali in order to communicate with tourists, which can be seen through the signs for the beach, the cafes, and wi-fi in the photograph above. Though English is not a native language to the region, it has been adopted into the society, showcasing the spread of Anglo-Saxon imperialism throughout the world.