of vogueish african' inspiration - cultures and ripoffs
It is not just a matter of reducing black/brown bodies to backdrops and props. The rip off extends to cultural thievery in the name of 'inspiration'.
Only this time it was the Other- the Original, that was supposed to have been inspired by a thieving genius .
The arrogance and racism run deep. It is apparently the vogue in Vogue.
A few years back Vogue once ran one of their annual colonial themed reactionary fantasies in Kenya and in reference to a Masai woman in full tribal regalia, Vogue asserted that the woman’s beaded earrings, beaded corset and bib-style necklace was “inspired” by a recent collection of John Galliano. Vogue actually went to print with the caption that this Masai woman adorned in jewels worn by her ancestors for centuries was “inspired” by John Galliano!! It finally dawned on me that for the average Vogue staffer, the obvious could not be imagined–the “genius” Galliano could not possibly have copied Masai tribal wear.
Granted Africans are not Vogue’s target demographic but for the sake of basic human decency it is time for this magazine to stop belittling historic wrongs and put a stop to the glorification of colonial racism. I have discussed Vogue’s colonial fetish with Jewish friends and although their experience differs in many significant ways, it is similar to the outrage felt by some for the Nazi props used in the Charlotte Rampling movie, “The Night Porter.” While it may be inaccurate to compare Vogue’s racist colonial pictorials with the sadomasochistic Nazi scenes of the Night Porter, for many Africans the khaki safari uniforms shown in the spread, the whips, the servile air surrounding the natives depicted in the background remind us of a time best left in the ash heap. No matter what the artistic vision, neither genocide nor apartheid or any other form of human rights abuse make for good fashion props.
http://www.racialicious.com/2007/08/18/vogues-glorification-of-colonial-racism/
Only this time it was the Other- the Original, that was supposed to have been inspired by a thieving genius .
The arrogance and racism run deep. It is apparently the vogue in Vogue.
A few years back Vogue once ran one of their annual colonial themed reactionary fantasies in Kenya and in reference to a Masai woman in full tribal regalia, Vogue asserted that the woman’s beaded earrings, beaded corset and bib-style necklace was “inspired” by a recent collection of John Galliano. Vogue actually went to print with the caption that this Masai woman adorned in jewels worn by her ancestors for centuries was “inspired” by John Galliano!! It finally dawned on me that for the average Vogue staffer, the obvious could not be imagined–the “genius” Galliano could not possibly have copied Masai tribal wear.
Granted Africans are not Vogue’s target demographic but for the sake of basic human decency it is time for this magazine to stop belittling historic wrongs and put a stop to the glorification of colonial racism. I have discussed Vogue’s colonial fetish with Jewish friends and although their experience differs in many significant ways, it is similar to the outrage felt by some for the Nazi props used in the Charlotte Rampling movie, “The Night Porter.” While it may be inaccurate to compare Vogue’s racist colonial pictorials with the sadomasochistic Nazi scenes of the Night Porter, for many Africans the khaki safari uniforms shown in the spread, the whips, the servile air surrounding the natives depicted in the background remind us of a time best left in the ash heap. No matter what the artistic vision, neither genocide nor apartheid or any other form of human rights abuse make for good fashion props.
http://www.racialicious.com/2007/08/18/vogues-glorification-of-colonial-racism/
posted by Satish Sharma at
13:36
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