The fashion industry is the harbinger of cutting-edge,
influential, and distinctive trends. The people at the helm of the industry are
notoriously fastidious and unabashedly contemptuous of anything or anybody that
doesn’t fit within the guidelines of their realm, and a lot of times their
world has excluded the use of Black
models, unless they happen to be ‘in-season’, already established, or serve as human background props
in offensive photo
spreads. And while Black models aren’t always en-vogue in the fashion
industry, the utilization of tropes and exploitative
images often depicted by their White counter-parts that most Black women are often
belittled for, always seem to be the look de
rigueur on runways.
In 2011, repeat offender Vogue Italia, referenced
hoop-earring trends as ‘slave
earrings’. --“If the name brings to the mind the decorative traditions of the women
of colour who were brought to the southern United States during the slave
trade, the latest interpretation is pure freedom.” They wrote.
Not seeming to grasp why misappropriating racially insensitive
motifs for use as fodder for the fashion industry to consume and to style White
models with, luxury brand Dolce and Gabbana- (most commonly known for evoking provincial images of their native Sicily in their fashion editorials and runway shows) - has
upped the proverbial ante and veered off-course, sending their (White) models
traipsing down the runway in their 2013 spring collection, ears adorned with …
what I can only think to describe as minstrel-ish... earrings. “There
is no creative interpretation or buffer between these earrings and the kind of
lamentable, dated figurines you find in airport gift shops. These severed heads
dangling from a pale-skinned model's ear are not fun or playful, but simply
evocative of some of the darkest times in Western history.” wrote Lexi
Nisita of the fashion blog Refinery
29.
Considering Domenico and Stefano undoubtedly figured they were
channeling the appeal of Blackamoor
statues and presumably weren’t
anticipating any backlash, to those of us (Black-American folks) not well-versed
in European art history or collectables, it looked more like the usual racial kitsch
of minstrelsy. Regardless of the slightly divergent histories between Blackamoor
art and the image of the American minstrel, the political implications aren’t dissimilar,
as they still show caricatures of Black people in positions of servitude; the recreational
display of the Nubian Slave sculptures isn’t that much different than that of Jocko
style lawn jockeys on
White people’s front lawns, as far as I’m concerned.
More often than not, collectors of this kind of decorative
art don’t fully grasp or understand the historical context behind any of it beyond them thinking it’s cute or funny. They’ve somehow deluded themselves into believing unsubstantiated claims
that stories such as those about Jocko
Graves and Blackamoor images are celebrations
of African Diaspora history, and will find every excuse to indulge in its racial
misappropriation. Those not clear about why people of the African Diaspora find the art being used in this context offensive, of course have no reason to get it, since it doesn't offer negligent commentary on their history or image. That the sculptures tend to be painstakingly
crafted doesn’t negate the colonialist
history behind them; those decrying the backlash tend to be folk who demand
that we “get over” the gross exploitation of Black history and images.
Many argue that Dolce and Gabbana’s use of the Blackamoor
earrings were clever and harmless,
but what those of us with the sense of awareness noted were two White-European men exploiting and selling overt
and highly stylized minstrelsy for the enjoyment of a mostly White, well-heeled
crowd… while using all
White models.
[And P.S., Remember how another similar crowd ate up this tasteless stunt and show?]
[And P.S., Remember how another similar crowd ate up this tasteless stunt and show?]
Here's Dolce and Gabbana's rather opaque and defensive attempt at an explanation... And to note, they still failed to acknowledge the oppressively colonialist history behind the images.
3 comments
I think this is relevant- a link to the "about" page of The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia. I wish everyone would read this.
http://www.ferris.edu/htmls/news/jimcrow/collect/
Thanks for this!
I take a different approach to this. Blackamoor jewelry often depicts African Moors draped in jewels and covered in gold. It is some of the most sought after and highly collected jewelry in all of Europe, though not well known here inthe states. I see it mostly as them revering the African Moors who conquered Spain and Granada and kick started the European Renaissance period. Make no mistake about it: 'they' know how great our race is. You should check out the documentary 'Hidden Colors' on iTunes. They go into great detail about Blackamoor jewelry and how it ties into the historical greatness of the Moors/Africans.
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