Fashion
They said/We said: Blackface is used on models at Ottawa Fashion Week. Innocent mistake? Or racist offense?
Photography via The Ottawa Citizen
Montreal designer Andy Nguyen’s Fall 2012 fashion show may have stood apart, but for all the wrong reasons. Shown last week in Ottawa as part of the local fashion week, the 22-year-old designer sent white models with painted blackface down the runway.
Originally intended to intensify the use of black light at the show, rather than make any racial or political statement, Nguyen tells the Ottawa Citizen: “it was nothing against any race. […] I’m sorry if it caused people to think that.”
With designers constantly pushing the boundaries of fashion, where should the line be drawn before art becomes offensive? Liberal party member Rachel Décoste seems to think Nguyen has stumbled across this boundary: “Would the swastika be less offensive because it was pink? These are symbols that represent oppression that people have suffered through for centuries,” she said. “There’s no way to turn them into a cutesy, artsy-fartsy fashion statement.”
Fashion week spokesperson Gabrielle Raina Plouffe says no complaints were made about the show, and given that the Ottawa audience gave Nguyen a standing ovation, perhaps not everyone thinks the painted faces were meant to be offensive.
Décoste is appalled that “Nobody said anything. And that disturbs me even more. […] It’s disappointing to see that this is still going on.”
Should artists have a greater responsibility to understand how the public interprets their work? We can’t help but wonder if he learned nothing from that scandalous “blackface” shoot featuring Lara Stone in French Vogue?
THEY SAID…
Julie Lalonde, feminist and francophone activist: “Blackface at Ottawa Fashion Week during BLACK HISTORY MONTH. #Humanity Fail.” [Twitter]
WE SAID…
Lesa Hannah, beauty director: “Runway makeup can totally veer on the side of crazy town—look at the red faces Pat McGrath did for Viktor & Rolf Fall 2011. However, a designer can’t ignore the fact that something like blackface will upset people and while Nguyen may be making what he feels is an artistic statement, he should be prepared for and accept outrage from the public for it.”
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5 Responses to “They said/We said: Blackface is used on models at Ottawa Fashion Week. Innocent mistake? Or racist offense?”
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Maybe I missed something here. A swastika of any color is offensive for what it represents. Is there something offensive about being black?
If you look at his entire collection there isn’t only blackface throughout the collection, I don’t think it was a racist intention at all, I think he was just trying to do something different or out of the ordinary.
Olive:
what you need to understand is that the blackface custom (painting a face in black, usually with exaggerated lips) is rooted in the same kind of racial-superiority ideology that the Swastica is. Although this practice ended in the 60s, it is evident that many youth are unaware of how hurtful this symbol is.
Now that you know this, perhaps you will agree that a serious artist should be aware of the historical images he/she emits. If he had used a Swastica w/o knowing its meaning, one would expect a sincere apology once being made aware of the significance, without hiding behind the “it’s just art” mantra.
Mr. Nguyen chose instead to congratulate himself for creating a blackface buzz via twitter — an act which lacks empathy and respect.
The Ottawa Fashion Week organizers could have also reacted in a more consiliatory manner to acknowledge and recognize the lapse in judgement.
Mistakes happen all the time. It is how you react that defines your character.
i think people are just making a huge scene out of it, im proud of him its take guts to do that!, its fashion and fashion is gonna ask us to do stuff that we wont like, fashion is allll about pushing it! letting go,
Fred,
Ultimately, fashion is about sales. Getting the public to buy a product, and wear it.
It is difficult to sell a product that insults people. That’s why the world’s top designers don’t use blackface or swasticas or other offending images.
One can push the enveloppe (see: Dolce G; MacQueen) without resorting to grotesque practices.