Fashion Institute apologises for 'clearly racist' show

[Boiler 45,966]

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51564215

 

Now we tend to focus on the edge but can not help wonder when something like this would have passed the smell test, a very long time ago? I doubt they were also wearing MAGA hats.

 

A New York City-based fashion college has apologised after a catwalk show was labelled racist.

Models were asked to wear prosthetic ears, lips and bushy eyebrows for a collection run by fashion design students at the event in Manhattan.

The accessories were heavily criticised online after an African-American model said she would not wear the "clearly racist" items.

The Fashion Institute of Technology said the matter was being investigated.

[Burnt Reynolds 5,058]

They look like some 80s trolls/doll caricatures, but pretty accurate on the lips I gotta say. Should've added a gas cap for the lip filler.

[Ban Hammer 13,491]

looks like someone repurposed the costumes from planet of the apes

[Nature Boy 2.0 8,378]

Mr Potato head is Racist now ? Jesus the loony left PC crowd is absurd.

[laylalex 7,300]

Sometimes the intent can be perfectly reasonable but misguided or ignorant of cultural nuance. It's important, I think, to see what the model who refused to wear the prosthetics was asked to wear to give more context than the picture above:

 

The whole idea is dumb and ugly. 

[Boiler 45,966]

She was not happy and who can blame her, I would be interested to know what the Organizers thought they were doing, did they think that somehow they got a pass?

[laylalex 7,300]

The designer is Chinese, and said he did not understand the cultural context which... I don't know how charitable I am feeling today, but whatever. But the organizers do NOT get a pass. Those people are American and if they paid attention in US history they would understand a little about the racist depictions of black people during (and even after) Jim Crow.

 

I am the first one to say, yes, art should be challenging and to get there, being offensive or disgusting or vile can be acceptable. But the question is what the context of the offensiveness is. Is it meant to provoke an audience? Or is the offensiveness not even part of the message, not even addressed in the message? The message here is meant to be (according to the article) a critique of beauty. The oversized lips and ears and eyebrows are meant to, according to the designer, highlight the ugly features of the body (article here: https://nypost.com/2020/02/15/black-model-refuses-to-wear-racist-monkey-ears-and-lips-at-fashion-show/). But what does it mean when the "ugly features" are the ones that have been highlighted by straight up racists as being supposedly stereotypical of one race? This has a peculiar resonance in America that would not be the same in China, or in much of Western Europe for that matter. Someone at the FIT should have caught this. They're not idiots, not all of them.

[Boiler 45,966]

I have never been to China but have a idea of what might be found offensive.

 

http://www.fitnyc.edu/fashion-design-mfa/faculty/kyle-farmer.php

 

Seems the Professor is English and I do not believe he did not understand the issues, seems they were pointed out to him several times.

 

[laylalex 7,300]

39 minutes ago, Boiler said:

I have never been to China but have a idea of what might be found offensive.

 

http://www.fitnyc.edu/fashion-design-mfa/faculty/kyle-farmer.php

 

Seems the Professor is English and I do not believe he did not understand the issues, seems they were pointed out to him several times.

 

I was told many, many times during my time over in the UK what was acceptable and unacceptable about my behavior and I adjusted accordingly. I didn't need to be told twice about how not to introduce titled people you do not know well, or how to "properly" hold my knife and fork (worked on it in private), etc. I was sensitive that I was not of the place even if in I was in the place. The professor looks like he's easily 10 years older than me and should know better.

[Boiler 45,966]

Behaviour!

 

I always wondered about that, presumably how to use cutlery is not taught in schools.

[laylalex 7,300]

I would never conform my spelling!!! My ex tried, but I said I would not, especially when we decided to be in the US.

 

We did not do cutlery in school. But once I learned the "proper" way to hold them, I did not revert to my heathen American ways. I admit it makes more sense to use both at the same time.

[Boiler 45,966]

And you use the fork the right way around and know how to place them when you finish?

 

I did get some stick for using a knife and fork to eat Pizza and a Burger, not at the same time.

 

44 minutes ago, laylalex said:

I would never conform my spelling!!! My ex tried, but I said I would not, especially when we decided to be in the US.

 

We did not do cutlery in school. But once I learned the "proper" way to hold them, I did not revert to my heathen American ways. I admit it makes more sense to use both at the same time.

 

[laylalex 7,300]

8 minutes ago, Boiler said:

And you use the fork the right way around and know how to place them when you finish?

 

I did get some stick for using a knife and fork to eat Pizza and a Burger, not at the same time.

 

 

Yes I do. My MIL made sure of it. She told me what was "common" and what was "proper." I did learn "proper" but overall, I would always be "common." I kept my mouth shut about how "common" her husband was before he made all that money.