These are some photos from Marc Jacobs’ runway show on Thursday, part of New York Fashion Week. These photos are going viral. Can you guess why? Ha!! It’s because Marc Jacobs decided to give all of his models “dreadlocks,” even the saddest white models. Some tweeters claimed that Marc Jacobs only used white models, but I see some models of color in these photos, so at least there’s that. And he did it with every model, not just the white ones and not just the models of color.
As we’ve discussed before, the issue of dreadlocks and cultural appropriation is a tricky subject. Personally, I think it’s a matter of degrees. If you’re someone who identifies more with the rasta life, of course you’re going to be offended when you see dreadlocks-as-white-appropriated-fashion. But I’ve also seen so many white folks do dreads just as a general hair choice, and while that may be “problematic,” I also don’t think it’s some huge issue.
But, as I said, tweeters are making it into an issue of cultural appropriation – go here to read. You know where my mind went at first though? Ani DiFranco. 4 Non Blondes. As in, the theme of this week is ‘90s fashion disaster.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Fame/Flynet.
Bet it smelled like weed in there
Haha!
HAHA That’s So Funny, cause everyone with Locs tokes… Right??
GTFOH
@QQ – So much love for you right now.
I thought this was a sarcastic throwback to the Rancic quote about Zendaya. I hope Alexis was being clever and not a racist douchebag.
I too thought it was sarcasm.
I think she was being sarcastic
I too think it was a joke about the Giulana Ranic comment
I thought Rancic as well. To be clearer in the allusion, the patchouli remark probably should’ve been included. It was discussed here so much, I think the two together would’ve made for a clearer reference.
Calm down, sarcasm about the whole Gulianna incident ….
Bella Hadid suddenly looks like Sharon Osbourne! In the top picture.
Ha! It’s true! She looks a lot like her in the other pics too.
This is my hippie west coast Canadian privilege talking, but those look like 90s drum circle raver crust punk pitbull on a rope dreads. Not a good look, no matter how you slice it.
Yeah I don’t think I would consider those the sort of dreadlocks folks get all flustered about. I had “dreads” like that during my cyberpunk days years ago. Rad colors and all. Meh.
Don’t give a f-k about the whites or dreads, but they all look so dead in the eyes and suck at their jobs. Oh wait, they were handed these “josb”, which are more like glorified hobbies for these chicas. But yeah, they are so f-king bland it kills me.
They are glorified clothes hangers, they are supposed to look bland. The models that don’t come from rich/famous families looked bland and dead in the eyes as well.
I MISS 90S MODELS
I’m pretty sure models on the runway are told whether to smile or not smile, etc.
And I can’t figure out it, why so much of the time they don’t smile. WTF is that their “sultry” look? They look so much better after the show when they’ve got grins on their faces.
I would think psychologically an outfit would sell better if the model is smiling so the buyer associates happiness with it. Maybe happiness is not fashionable in NYC?
this is the miley cyrus styling when she hosted the mtv music awards. just crappy hair, stupid brain damaged unwearable clothing. however miley cyrus should get credit for this mess.
The show also had a great model, Irina Shayk. I think she closed it. Extremely beautiful and actually enjoyable in interviews.
Too bad most of the covers and promotion go to Insta models, I feel like Irina has some old school supermodel in her.
Isn’t that Bradley Cooper’s gf and she isn’t 20 thankfully
That’s right, she is Cooper’s girlfriend and in her late 20s I think.
I watched a few interviews with her and she’s so great. She’s funny and has that Eastern European common sense.
And when you watch interviews you can see such a difference from those models who come from nothing amd those who come from money.
Yes, she is great. I like the fact that you can tell from her attitude and manner of speaking that she is hard-working, she is not spelling it out for you like Insta models have done in pretty much every interview.
And again, she is extremely beautiful. In reality, I imagine she is even more striking.
Also agree about the sense of humor, very cool. Her voice is interesting too.
Irina is a “great” model? LOL
Hi, Kendall!
She was on Colin Quinn’s web-series ‘Cop Show’. irina is in on the joke.
Well, I mean, it looks quite silly the way they’ve done it, but I guess I don’t see why it’s a huge deal. Celtic peoples and other northern cultures wore dreadlocks too, it’s just what human hair does when you let it grow and don’t untangle it and the style was used all over. Horse tails will lock up too if left unbrushed.
I think the Greeks originated it?
But you have to look it from an American perspective and how dreadlocks played into American culture, and how hair played into the treatment of African-Americans. It’s a more complicated issue than who wore it first.
I know, and I’m not trying to determine who wore it first, just stating that dreads were a common thing among many cultures, including white ones. I realize why they’re problematic in American culture today, but maybe acknowledging that they were worn by many different peoples can help change that. They’re a shared history, if you will, not something inherently dirty or smelly, and not exclusive to a particular culture. They’re a perfectly natural and common way to wear ones hair.
You must be joking, right? Greeks invented locs?!? GTFOH
The Greeks invented dreadlocks? It’s only in the west that there is a belief that Greece is the cradle of civilization. African civilization (and hairstyles) existed long before Greece
@Wokemommy I’m pretty sure many homo sapiens had dreads during the paleolithic era of the hunter – gatherer, so yeah not Greeks, also I would dare say that Asia was the real cradle of civilization , but Greece WAS the cradle of Western civilization.
They are very Cyberpunk dreads, more so then traditional dreadlocks from any other culture.
I think Locke is correct in that it is the American perspective on them. There are many cultures that have had dreads (as I posted below) but in the US, there is a darker tone in the history of the style and for the people.
As a woman of color it doesn’t bother me.
But just because I’m not bothered doesn’t mean it’s not hurting a POC who has met discrimination because of wearing locks and being assumed low class or dirty.
All I see here is great press for a designer who’s getting everyone to see his clothes and learning nothing.
I agree that it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt another person…. I was wondering if it going mainstream helped diminish the discrimination based on dreads? I am white in a predom white area and the dreads in the grunge era introduced a lot of us to dreads head on (no pun intended but it stays). That’s how I learned about the history, care, etc of dreadlocks. Not that it changed my friends ideas of dreads but it might have had an influence on our parents who hated them???
Here’s the thing, I don’t know. That’s an issue I’ve never seen or experienced. I grew up with my dad *who is my black parent* trying to encourage me to either be more white or Chinese. I see now as an adult that my father isn’t self loathing, rather he experienced extreme racism, segregation and violence. His way to survive was to abandon all things ‘black’ and assimilate.
I know he has strong opinions on this, but he has experiences I dont. At the same time I’m going to take everything case by case and not blame race issues on whites as a blanket opinion.
The locks thing is such a gray area because it’s not unique to just black culture. It’s historically from all over and touches all races, however in America it has come with racist stigma.
Sunny D
That was a well-expressed, informative opinion.
i think Marc Jacobs Instagram response was way more problematic than it could have been. He didn’t understand that people had issues with this but not black women straightening their hair? Say whaaaat?
How are these girls models? Everyday the Instagram models get more and more on my nerves.
Seriously. He said “funny how you don’t criticize women of color for straightening their hair” on IG and my only reaction was also “whaaaat?” Dude was sort of at the edge of artistic inspiration and cultural appropriation, a place where plenty of people would give him the benefit of the doubt, and then he tips the scale by outing himself as some confused, “but what about reverse racism???” idiot?
He MUST be trolling. Nobody is so stupid as to compare black women having to assimilate by removing their natural curl and white girls costuming with the dreadlocks that black people actually lose job opportunities over.
And that line in his post “I dont see color or race – I see people”. Sure boo. Except when you are booking models for your runway – white girls galore. Stupid idiot!
I don’t think he’s trolling, I think he’s just swaddled himself in too many layers of people that think he’s awesome.
He said he doesn’t see color but then went on to bring up WOC who straighten their hair, how does he know they’re women of color if he doesn’t see color? Lol.
Yes AC I agree, his reply in defense of the style is the bigger issue to me. Claiming that WOC appropriate white culture by straightening their hair. Total facepalm moment like no dude.. just… no, please stop talking.
None of these models look like supermodels. They look like the cool girls in high school trying to model.
House full of runway models wearing fake dreads.
Exactly 2 black models walking the runway.
This is why people get angry and talk about appropriation.
You want to defend this and claim people were dreading their hair in Greece and Macedonia and go back to 22 BC for proof? Fine.
But why are pieces and parts of us so much fun to feature but not our actual persons and bodies? Why was it so much easier to go about procuring fake dreads (which I’m sure cost a bundle) in an effort to be shocking and daring and not just be shocking by actually having more WOC walk the runway?
Why not use actual models with actual dreads than that knitting yarn and highlighter on their heads? But it’s cool. Wear Afros, dreads, baby hair and corn rows on your white models and don’t employ or hire actual blacks more than the bare quota. Why in the world would we be salty about it?
AGREED.
Also, before we really get into the conversation on cultural appropriation, where someone will inevitably say it’s “not real” or “it happens but it’s overused”, let me give some context in terms of the Black cultural appropriation, particularly that of Black women’s style. From purchased curvy figures, to cultural “slang”, to outfits, and to hairstyles, woman are essentially “wearing” Black womanhood (a la Rachel Dolezal). The issue with appropriation is that these looks are considered edgy/fun/cool when not worn on Black women; yet, let a sister walk down the street or pose on her instagram in these styles. Do you know what she has gotten (and will be) called? GHETTO. RACHET. HOODRAT. UGLY. And the list could go on. Magazines such as InStyle, Cosmo, and Marie Claire have praised white women wearing Black and/or “Black-inspired” styles as new and hip, not realizing that society rendering Black women as invisible and unworthy is why they haven’t seen/noticed these styles before and why they weren’t “cool”. Mainstream America celebrated stick thin women until someone of an acceptable skin tone came in and decided to “accept” their curves and/or buy them. All of sudden “butts are in”. Same thing with full lips. Meawhile, Black women had to learn to love their bodies despite pop culture telling them they were undesirable (and this includes using their bodies like caricatures while pretending to celebrate them). Hairstyles may seem like a little thing, but they are part of a larger picture. The appropriation has been happening for so long the ripple has become a wave.
When it comes to the appropriation of Black culture, there are additional layers. It’s not simply about wearing your hair or clothes a certain way. It is society loving Black culture, SPECIFICALLY when it’s not on Black bodies (and then acting like its new and/or cool). IT IS THE REVERENCE FOR BLACK CULTURE THAT OCCURS WITH THE SIMULTANEOUS REJECTION OF BLACK PEOPLE. It’s the notion that society loves when Black people are there to entertain them; win championships for them; sing and dance for them; but doesn’t acknowledge their intrinsic value as human beings. It’s the anger that when Blacks are winning gold medals, we’re chanting U-S-A; and once it’s over, some of those same people want to “take their country back” from those very same people, and “make America great again”. The anger with appropriation of Black culture is that people want jerseys with Lebron James’ name on their backs; or, posters of Simone Biles hanging on their wall; yet, don’t give a damn if someone that looks like Lebron or Simone is murdered by a public servant.
Damn, who could read that and not see truth? Powerfully articulated.
This 1000+ for the people who say it’s just hair
When back men and women are told that natural hair or dreads are unprofessional in the workplace or don’t fit military guidelines. Or the child who is sent home because of her natural hair http://thegrio.com/2016/05/08/black-girl-told-natural-hair-inappropriate.. When a black male with dreads is seen as dangerous or menacing and a white male with dreads is seen as cool or hip… For those who say it’s just hair i don’t see an issue are the same ones tight lipped about the back-lash against black hair on black people.
I agree with every word, but I want to single out your noting the word ‘ratchet’ as demeaning. I hate that word and I hate it more directed at women of color. Hood rat is another irksome one. Just a watered down version of the N word in my opinion.
IT IS THE REVERENCE FOR BLACK CULTURE THAT OCCURS WITH THE SIMULTANEOUS REJECTION OF BLACK PEOPLE.
Yes! Powerful words HH.
JESUS HH JUST TAKE THE CROWN!
Deaf ears won’t listen but those who can hear will learn, preach preach preach!
Add native peoples to the list of those who are culturally revered and rejected.
Rachel Dolezal. If that wasn’t a sign of….something….like a metaphor for life or something.
@HH & @Onemoretime thanks for the insight. I’m not in the USA but this is a very important issue.
HH, a question for you:
First, if it’s done as a costume like here I totally agree with you, but what about when the person appropriating the culture is reverent and it’s only those observing it that are being hypocritical? Still it’s the person doing it, not the magazines or whatever commenting on it that take the heat.
Example: I know someone who is white who has embraced another culture’s dance style deeply. She’s trained in it since she was 10 years old. When she attends the events she dresses according to that culture. She is deeply entwined in that community. Appropriate or appropriation? If you saw her on the street going to one of these events and didn’t know this, what would you think? If some news bit highlighted her performance should she get the blame or should the reporter?
@Jay: I specifically only reference Black culture and appropriation because that’s my background. I don’t claim to be the judge,jury, executioner for all of cultural appropriation. Black Cultural appropriation happens to be very deep in American history. It could be called the unofficial national past time. Throughout history, ideas, innovations, music, style, etc. were taken (or inspired) by Black individuals and there influence was smudged out and no credit given.
In terms of placing blame, again I’m not going to speak for other cultures. However, this article with Kendall Jenner and Marie Claire gives some context to what you’re asking: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/02/marie-claire-kendall-jenner-cornrows-tweet_n_5078924.html
While people do criticize the Jenners and Kardashians at different times for appropriation, in this instance, the blame was placed on the media.
So much goodness in this thread. HH, Eternal Side Eye and company slaying as usual. I’ll just throw in my “I concur” at this point and leave it at that.
Yes. You are right. Look at the Kardashians. They are slowly trying to morph into black people. They have changed their lips, their butts, their waists, their hair and put on tan to look darker and ethnically ambiguous. They date black men and talk like black women and are considered fashionable and edgy. Yet Serena Williams is constantly body-shamed just for being a black woman.
I just want to add my “this was amazing, YAS KWEEN!” comment HH.
I know some huge football fans who are super racist and I always say “wow you like them on the field but have no respect for their family or friends out there?” It’s like the hypocrisy doesn’t dawn on them. People wouldn’t have to complain about cultural appropriation if there were more respect for black minds and black bodies.
Excellent comment. Heartbreaking and sad that people don’t understand this.
i am really just gonna stop myself and stop reading right here.. on a Good Note, I Really REALLY need to not work myself up into a frenzy reading this Til My Eyes are like -___- and I hate everyone and their Bending over High Fashion rationalization
Keep preaching it, you both have nailed it. Especially with the “invisible woman” comments. This seems a little like the transface issue, not using trans actors in movies if they’re a part of the narrative being told.
Why not use women of color, black models for the narrative Marc Jacobs is trying to sell on the runway? Why is our personhood so threatening that the much of the world at large must continue to try and supress and or deny it?
Respectfully, if Marc had used only black models for this show that would be fetishism and condecension. Having a mix of black and other race models is equality. He picked the people he thought would best suit this collection.
And when all the women are white, what do you call it? That happens very often in the fashion industry. And it’s always because “they were the ones who best suit the collection”.
@Angel – Do you mean like this:
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/fashion/a53803/zac-posen-casts-predominately-black-models-in-fall-2016-show/
Because if so, clearly there’s a right way to do it.
@Josefina
I call it white privilege, which needs to change.
@HH The link you sent seems like a better way to draw attention to issue without using black women as an exotic sub-set. A 99% PoC runway could and ought to occur in an community without discrimination, but an all black one, without a black designer or mention of a political point, seems like cultural tourism.
Hold strong, guys. Still sad you have to keep explaining it but maybe if you say it over and over again it will eventually sink in?
Yes, to disembody the person of color like a paper doll and put those pieces and parts on a white body for fun&profit is not just demeaning but erases them and strengthens the racist power structure in the U.S.
Dreads are not a black thing. Indians have dreads. lots of other south asians have dreads.
Did you read ANYTHING that was posted by ESE and HH? Sigh.
Eternal coming through with the best posts as always
Aw thank you.
@The Eternal Side-Eye, that chip must get awfully tiresome carrying around.
Well, this is an industry that still does editorials with white models in blackface.
http://www.rucuss.com/say-what-white-model-poses-as-an-african-queen-in-fashion-editorial-photos/
http://nymag.com/thecut/2010/09/constance_jablonski_goes_black.html
You don’t want to know the arguments people were making to justify this. No, really. You don’t want to know.
Oh ffs. How can anyone not see how problematic that sh-t is?
If he’d put them in wigs that looked like proper dreads it would bother me, but this look is straight out of the 90’s white girl stoner playbook. They don’t look like real dreads, but like the crappy ratty dreads white girls try to make happen in a month with the help of grease and random colourful crap they swipe from art class. The difference between that and actual dreads is so vast I barely see it as appropriation.
I mean, visually I think it works because it is more cyber punk, and less “here are a bunch of skinny white women in tribal gear and paint”. But I understand the saltiness about white women being able to take “black” attributes on and off like a costume.
White-people-dreads piss me off and they all look as miserable as fuck. Deadlights in their eyes.
It’s great that it’s totally fine for white people to wear deeds but my brother, a brown skinned young man, gets called “dirty” and “homeless” – that he gets bullied for them! It’s the same thing as f*cking braids. When I wore my hair in long cornrows I was picked on mercilessly until I finally couldn’t take it anymore and took a flat iron too it. It happens now with my natural, I get hands in it and questions if I can be “clean” and that it looks “unmanageable” and “unprofessional” but if a white woman comes out with big bushy curly hair it’s totally fine and beautiful and exotic. That’s appropriation. It’s taking something from another culture, and making in unacceptable in their culture, and fine in yours OR just trying to reinvent it all together (im looking at you “boxer braids”) If you’re going to wear Dreds, fine, but don’t turn around and call black people “dirty” or “homeless” or whatever else you can think of.
The issue with dreads are that the hippie white kids who are wearing them are not the same conservative white bank manager who is telling her black employees that dreads make them look homeless. Not that white hippies can’t be racist or ignorant. However, I think the fashion industry deserves all the anger they get because they play a huge role in enforcing skinny white women as the acceptable beauty standard.
Don’t even get me started on white hippies. They all appropriate Native Ameircan culture, too, going so,far as making and wearing swastika Jewelry cause it used to be called then”whirling log.” And they’re not even NA. Makes my teeth hurt.
White hippies get told that ish is gross too. You all can get together and sulk and smoke a dube
Also they can cut their hair, take the earring out of their nose and still get a job a lot quicker than any person of colour. I know it’s Marc’s “vision” but he should have steered clear from any remarks on any social media. As lots of times people type things in haste and not thinking it thru.
The worst part of this is not just the cultural appropriation, but the tone deaf template “I’m not a racist” defense that he typed out in response to that disaster that he called a show:
“I don’t see color or race.”
“What about when WOC straighten their hair or dye it?”
“Love is the answer.”
I am shocked he did not mention all the black friends he has as Naomi, Solange, Lil Kim and many other women of color from other groups have supported him throughout the years.
I could just get angry at all the people in this thread basically going “so what? who cares?” even though they can easily google why this is an issue or even go to past threads on this very site and read other posts similar to this, but i am not because today is Friday and I won’t get my blood pressure up over people who refuse to listen.
Ani Defranco, Lana Wachowski, and any other white person who wears their hair like this is just wrong.
His responses….UGH. Especially the straight hair one… I mean.. NO WORDS. It’s not like he lost a customer in me because I can’t afford his stuff. But when I get the money, he won’t be getting it. LOL.
Is it wrong for w.o.c. to bleach & dye hair blonde? Is that cultural appropriation? My sister has long, extremely curly hair which readily forms dreads. She’s naturally blond with light caucasian skin & green eyes. She had dreads all the time as a kid because it was too painful & hard to comb it out. When her hair was short, it was tightly curly & “natural.” She wasn’t “appropriating” anything.
My hair was stick straight & light brown. My brother’s light brown hair was straight until he got scarlet fever @ age 11. After that, it was very kinky, like my sister’s, but he kept it short & it never got long enough for dreads. Accusations of “cultural appropriation” of anything offend me, no matter who is flinging the insult. Is it cultural appropriation if I wear a sarong at the beach? Pierce my ears or nose? What about plugs? Tattoos?
I’m a brown person in a country where people in the coasts use these hairstyles. I don’t see anything wrong with people of any colour wearing dreadlocks (especially those with very voluminous hair), but I understand that this might be problematic because of USA past and the racism within fashion industry. However Marc response was weak and stupid. He could have said dreads have been worn worldwide in many cultures since ancient times or maybe even further the conversation by pointing for example the times beyonce has done similar things with Indian and Mexican culture. Instead what he said was extremely condescending, tone deaf and a perfect example of micro-agression.
Maybe he’s not a racist.
I know some people don’t like Gigi Hadid but she usually has a lively, fun expression. Bella and Kendull look so boring and frozen faced.
I agree. I think if Gigi stuck to commercial work, she’d continue to flourish. She’s flipping adorable in the latest Maybelline mascara ad running on tv. These two, however…
Bella is beautiful if dead-eyed, but Kendull is, oh man… She’s terrible in commercial work, and she’s terrible on the runway.
Who am I kidding? They’re all going to flourish no matter what they do.
Yesterday, I read an article in the New York Times about these dreads. Apparently, a woman in Florida who has a small eTsy store (I believe she is black). Marc found her, met her, and then hired her. She enlisted her two daughters to make all the dreads for the show — which was a bit difficult, because Marc is a stickler about color. Then she got to take her first-ever airplane ride, which she seemed stoked about. And the exposure, she says, will be a boon — and that “she’s ready” for the influx of orders. But first, she said, she wanted to get back home to spend a day with her “grandbaby.”
…whoo hoo for her.
I look forward to seeing knitting string and koolaid dye dreads on pouting Instagram models in the near future.
You could go back to the 1990s to see it, too. Hit any rave across America. Then you could be angry in EVERY era!
Bella takes dead stare to a whole new level. While the others look miserable, she looks extra miserable.
Isn’t disturbing?! The others look very serious, Bella looks…like someone forgot to put in her personality chip.
I shouldn’t wear dreadlocks or cornrows but African American can straighten their hair and wear Sassoon bobby cut. I don’t understand it. If I like the style, if I think it’s beautiful and inspiring, it’s insulting to whole ethnicity of ppl. Thank heavens I live somewhere where anyone can wear their hair however they want. I must be really super dumb for not getting this.
HH makes a great point above that it’s not necessarily about being white and doing these things, but being white, profiting off black culture, and then doing nothing to help the cycles of poverty, abuse, and institutional racism.
Now, I personally don’t think that’s an issue here, as none of this screams black culture or seems to be profiting off of anything other than that horrible early 2000’s cyberpunk that was popular, but like everything, I’m sure someone disagrees with me, and that’s totally fine.
Well you said it in your last sentence.
*shrugs, ☕️,*
lolololol oh damn
You sound oh so smart don’t you.
*Dies laughing*
Wow, you’ve REALLY never seen a PoC with naturally-straight hair?
“Thank heavens I live somewhere where anyone can wear their hair however they want”
Oh that explains it. You live in the Utopian Land of Only White Folks where we don’t have to GAF about anyone’s feelings except our own. Nice!
@MEH this may help you understand what the issue is:
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_57b380cde4b014a587fba07c
Isn’t it kind of racist to declare it “potentially problematic” when “white people” want to wear dreads? So whenever a white person wants to wear dreads, she cannot because another culture had the idea first? Oh my. As if life wasn’t difficult enough already. Nobody in europe would ever think of this being inappropriate. At least nobody I can think of.
I find it interesting that the problem is a white person’s hair style and not the discrimination black people face when they wear their natural hair and what that means.
” As if life wasn’t difficult enough already. ”
So many tears will be shed tonight in mourning of you having trouble with a hairstyle.
I swear I will light a prayer candle.
It’s not about who invented the idea. It’s about the notion that an aesthetic component of a marginalized culture only receives visibility and praise when transferred onto the body of a white person when for years the members of that culture have faced scrutiny, scorn, and judgment for the same aesthetic.
So no, it’s not kind of racist.
I’m in Western Canada (BC) and they don’t seem to cause issues here either. I know lots of people who like them and lots who don’t, from all races and creeds. I know some professional people who have them and wear them tied up at work and some musicians who wear them wild and free.
There were many First Nations that wore their hair in dreadlocks, others wore painted hair rolls, which look like dreads. As a Metis (half First Nations) would I be appropriating from the wrong culture? No, but try and explain that to someone who doesn’t know or has never seen Native dreadlocks. The Mohave, the Cocopah and other South West Native tribes had been doing this for centuries. I think that this may be more of an issue in the US than it is elsewhere.
“As if life wasn’t difficult enough already.”
Really? You’re choosing to zero in on this public criticism as a life challenge for white people — who, news flash, aren’t getting arrested or banned for continuing to wear the style, but simply called out — yet you’re STILL ignoring the systemic racism directed at black people for wearing the very same hairstyles? You know… the whole point of the argument?
I mean, you only have to go as far as THIS comment thread to see some real-life examples of it.
Say what you want about Kendall but at least she is working. She could have gone the Kylie route. Even though she used her fame/name to get there, she has a job. That’s more then you can say for any other K sister!
I have no problem with calling Marc Jacobs out but its got to be across the board. Nobody called out Beyonce for wearing traditional Indian attite in a music video or Nicki Minaj for wearing traditional Japanese attire in her video.
Yes they did and yes they did, it’s hard to know when invisible groups protest if you’re not aware or listening to them since the media shies away from it.
*slow clap*
To be fair, I don’t read a ton of gossip blogs just a select few and none of those blogs mentioned it. I think Japanese and Desi culture is just as important and should be respected, seems to me some people get less media focus than others ( Nicki, Gwen, Beyonce etc)
@Jade
It wasn’t a slam on you. While blacks seem to get at least a *little* media attention when we complain and call out organizations it seems like other groups are mostly ignored. If you’re not in it watching it go down you could very well miss it.
As for Gwen she got a TON of complaints, but again when the media wants to lavish and adulate someone they tend to pretend everything’s okay when it’s clearly not. Gwen had a team of four Asian women who weren’t allowed to speak following her everywhere for God’s sake, it was a mess.
I thought Beyonce’s video was heinous and offensive, but South Asians are so often regarded as mystical and exotic that Bey is hardly the first or last to crib our culture. Asians also don’t have the same numbers, political voice, or historical legacy as black activism in America (not to say we have none because obviously the community has many outspoken advocates and thinkers).
Basically people DID call out Beyonce/Nicki Minaj (and Gwen Stefani before her). It’s just that not everyone might have registered that.
Dreadlocks have been (and are) a tradition across many cultures across the globe and throughout history. They are strongly associated with Rastafarianism but that doesn’t mean they were invented by Rastas, nor does it mean that by wearing them people are ripping off African or Rastafarian culture.
George Clinton did it better. Case closed.
Haha. George Clinton or GO HOME.
I love this look!!! Love the rainbow colors!!
18 year old me would have lovedd to do this 🙂
I mean, is there anything white people can do to not be called ‘bland’, ‘racist’, ‘vanilla’, ‘entitled’?? You cannot criticism any other race so vehemently and so consistently as you can criticize to the point of prejudice white people. It is such a double standard and it makes people who say this stuff look so stupidly ignorant. If these models were ANY other race , this article would have a much different spin.
lol, come on. To say that there’s a double standard is to say that reverse racism exists, and we know that’s not true.
Let me break this down.
For the entire history of the United States of America, white supremacy has dictated the contours of our culture. That is to say, beauty standards, professional mores, familial customs, social etiquette, aesthetic principles, political attitudes, customs of language, artistic expression, AND MORE have all been manipulated in a way that normalizes whiteness and otherizes people of color.
The only reason some white people feel ganged up on, judged, and criticized today, is because new media amplifies the voices of POCs in a way never before seen in history. Many white people are just now coming face to face with a reality they didn’t know about because being in the in-group means the struggles of the out-groups don’t touch you. And, as they say, when you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.
Lyka, that is really, really well said. I took a screen shot so I can bust out your quote when needed. 🙂
*SNAPS*
Boom ! Exactly !
So SO good.
I’ll probably get yelled at but it certainly does feel like that sometimes. I wish we could be proud of all our heritages, holding all of them in equal esteem, not drawing lines saying “this one is mine and that one is yours” with varying degrees of disdain. I don’t like being called basic, or assumed to be racist and treated accordingly, just because I’m white.
I do see why, though. Our society is still deeply unfair, shunning people of color while telling them we’re not. Effectively saying we appreciate their contributions but not them as people. That sucks and it’s wrong. I’m not sure what the solution is. I know my personal response to “hey, that’s actually from black culture” is usually “really? cool! tell me more, this is pretty neat”. As a child I idolized many black historical figures, and as an adult I try to take people as they are and treat everyone with respect. It’s hard to hear that I can’t share in their culture. I’ve got lots of culture too that I think is pretty neat that I’d love to share as well.
It’s like we each have a plate of cookies, they’re very different in appearance and taste but they’re all delicious. I’d love to trade cookies and talk about them, the ingredients, preparation, how they developed into what they are. But I get that if you have had your cookies stolen, been beaten or put to death over them, told they are inferior and gross, and then seen someone else make your cookies and be praised for them, you wouldn’t be so excited to share.
well said!
Really thoughtful comment but we’re just not there yet, Wren, and I’m not sure we will be there in our lifetime.
Unarmed black people are still being gunned down by law enforcement. Meanwhile, black music, black fashion, black slang is constantly being appropriated and celebrated IF white hands are at the helm.
This is more of an appropriation of medusa than black culture imo
Havent heard any complaints from medusa
Most websites are echo chambers, this one being no exception.
He definitely went all in for that Medusa vibe, hmm?
Another problem with white girl and guy locs? THEY DON’T TAKE CARE OF THEM. That’s probably one of the reasons why people have the misperception that dreadlocks are dirty and therefore unprofessional.
I have several black and white friends who have dreads. So what? It’s hair.
It never ceases to amaze me how comments like these STILL get posted even after people like HH, ESE, and Lyka break it down again. And again. And again.
Girl, you just take a seat, sip your tea and wait.
It’s monotonous work but I’d rather shout facts into a vaccum than let ignorance overwhlem the discussion.
I didn’t read this feed. I posted what I thought. Not trying to minimize anyone’s opinion. I just love all people. I was in no way trying to offend anyone and I apologize if I did.
Don’t worry pmnichols, some people get offended no matter what anyone says, or intends.
I find the issue of cultural appropriation hard to understand. Russian culture, designs, history are borrowed all the time. It doesn’t mean people feel they are Russian, they just admire the aesthetics. Why is it bad?
Likewise, Russia being a big country in between East and West through all of it history borrowed from others. This is why the Russian language is so rich, for every word there are 4-5 others which were borrowed from other languages and mainstreamed. Sharing cuisine, customs, folk stories, dress with others was seen as positive not negative. It helps us understand each other when we try the others people culture on for ourselves. It is said that imitation is a form of flattery.
What you are missing is that when a black person wears Dreadlocks they are told its dirty, “homeless, unprofessional, ugly , but when their white counterparts wears dreadlocks suddenly they are fashionable, cool, edgy.
As for the argument that people have that white hippies wear dreadlocks and are told Its dirty, “homeless, too. The difference is black people are told those things even when they’re doctors, lawyers, businessman, business owners, scientists, teachers, artist excetera excetera.
So no imitation is not the highest form of flattery when your being shamed for your culture appreciation well somebody else is being praised for it.
“What you are missing is that when a black person wears Dreadlocks they are told its dirty, “homeless, unprofessional, ugly , but when their white counterparts wears dreadlocks suddenly they are fashionable, cool, edgy”
For this assertion to work it has to be the same person, in this case Marc Jacobs saying that. And I am pretty sure he admires them, this is why he wanted to use them.
He is mainstreaming dreadlocks, for everyone, not just for white people.
No he is not because dreadlocks were already mainstream in the Black Culture. We didnt need Marc Jacobs to come save the day and let us know that it’s okay for us to appreciate our own culture.
Why cannot another culture use something another culture invented if they like it, and make it mainstream in their culture?
Every Christmas all across the US there are production of “Nutcracker”, one of the greatest works by a Russian composer Tchaikovsky. Are they wrong? Should it forever remain a Russian-only masterpiece that can only be performed by Russians? Further, should ballet remain an art for white people only? Of course the answer is no.
We all benefit from cultural exchange.
Clearly your not getting it from my comment so my advice will be to see HH comment above and after that if you still don’t get it then their nothing more we here can say for you to get it.
@ Sarah
Unless Tchaikovsky and the Russian people were ridiculed for the production of “Nutcracker” while Americans were praised for their rendition of Tchaikovsky “Nutcracker” then it not the same thing.
From reading all you comments you just don’t get it and maybe you don’t want to. Having said that I agree with ICan’t read HH comment.
I just want to point out there were african american models in the show and calling gigi and bella “white” isnt entirely accurate.
Those girls are daughters of two immigrants and are first generation American. They may have their mothers dutch looks but their father is Palestinian. Their father is muslim for crying out loud! They were raised in a muslim home
It just goes to Show how stupid racism is. People degrade them as a “white girls” based on the color of their skin and claim these “white girls” and their “white privlege” are appropriating black culture in this fashion show. White according to who? They are the daughters of immigrants, once of which is from an Arab country so I hardly consider my first generation american friends from palestine as white girls. Are you “appropriating” their muslim heritage and culture next time you get henna on your hand? Next time you wear a tunic?
I wonder what Tim Gunn will say about this…
It is 2016. Bunch of people are wearing dreadlocks these days and have in other periods of human history too. And I am pretty sure no culture actually wore these kind of fantasy colored dreadlocks. It would be differnt if this was a copy of some traditional style. How else could a fashion desing promote that dreadlocks are fashionable? Clearly having one ethnicitity would actually be an issue. But I guess people want to have dreadlocks seem as unfashionable or just extremely un-mainstrem. Because that is what follows if you can not you them in mainstream fasnion.
I am so in love with this look
It is so fun and colorful!! So whimsy
Love the clothes too!!
You can choose to turn this into a political statement like anything else but i just really love this look. Ive dyed my hair pink on the tips before and it was so fun but i wore my hair in a bun at work for 6 months haha
You must be purposefully ignorant. Please. Tell me it’s true.
I think the dreads are pretty colors and I like the clothes and the dewy make up. This makes me ignorant? Nope.
This look reminds me of burning man and hippies. I think its pretty 🙂
And while i dont owe you any explaination of my situatedness but since you called me ignorant, i thought i would let you know i am not white fyi
be nicer, its easy and its free
I can sort of see how the dreads look matches the clothing style.
But FGS the Hadids and Kendull look positively bored in these photos. I get that models aren’t supposed to smile etc but they’re supposed to have some kind of life in their eyes, no? They have all the charisma of wet dishrag.
Thanks, HH. Nice to see in that link that blame went where it was due. Every time I hear of black cultural appropriation the first thing that comes to mind is Elvis Presley and the whole premise of “if we can find a white man that sings like a black man, we’ll be rich.” I totally get the “how come it wasn’t worthy when we did it the first time?” thing.
The thing I feel a little uneasy about is when it leads to the (understandably) resentful “hands off our stuff” that hinders cultures from meshing, putting up these virtual “cultural purity” walls.
I remember in school how they used to compare Canadian and American cultural ideologies… The US was the “melting pot”: everyone was American first, commonality was celebrated. Canada was the “mosaic”: differences were celebrated.
Now I’m by no means saying either country executed that notion flawlessly, but I always found the different attitude noteworthy. What I’ve *personally* seen here of “appropriation” has usually been more a sign of admiration than disrespect, and those of the culture being appropriated approved of the interest. But I can understand how that fails if proper credit and respect is not given, like with the First Nations when a clothing store “borrows” one of their designs and effectively trivialises the spiritual and historical significance of some native creation.
I do think the mosaic vs. melting pot was a better idea. I can’t speak for how well Canada actually put the idea into work but in America what ended up becoming a conflict was that you really did have to *melt* into the culture to be accepted.
If a culture chooses to wear their native or natural clothes they are more usually than not treated with suspicion. If their cultural contributions can be used by others for profit, fun, or adornment then they are beautiful. Say the Bindi and Sari. Everything else is strange and bizarre (the hijab, Burqa). At any given moment despite much of American history involving nearly EVERYONE immigrating here (willingly or not) you can hear shouts of, “Go back to your own country!”
But honestly HH slayed this whole idea above.
Hijab and burka are seen as symbols of female and religious oppression. It is a different argument.
@Sasha
And no matter how much individual women say how they feel about it we continue to label them as oppressed victims. It is opposite the American culture and not something that would want to be imitated so we’re very concerned about their oppression because of their desire to be covered vs. our ‘natural’ tendency towards exposing.
Meanwhile our women are just as slutshamed and judged by their looks and ability to be sexy to male tastes.
Eternal Side-Eye, I respect you for your comments on black culture, but here, you are clearly talking about something you don’t know enough about. You are supporting an ideology that sees a woman as the possession of a man, an ideology that many liberal muslims are desperately trying to fight. Please don’t do that.
I used to feel the same way about a woman’s freedom to choose whatever she wants to wear, and in principle I still feel the same way, but then I came face to face with the reality that in some parts of European cities you, as a woman, get shouted at or even attacked unless you’re covered up.
It’s a difficult matter, that’s for sure. Freedom of choice is one thing, but this kind of policing is unacceptable, and it’s already a reality here in Europe.
As a woman of color I am not offended but I can understand if some people are mad about this.
Also, if this were Project Runway, Tim Gunn would eliminate Marc Jacobs in the first round. This is so shitty and mediocre…and I seriously do not understand why these dead-eyed, utterly mayo and uncharismatic instagram “models” are getting all the spotlight.
The POC/other models at the back are soooo much more enigmatic and gorgeous than these budget bland ones who only made it because of nepotism.
Marc hired ablack woman to make all this dreads and the exposure will significantly impact her financially.
Still going to call him a racist?! Are you going to say she is complicit in her own oppression by seizing this business opportunity?
I think the spin on this could be positive. They were models from all races in this show. Does anyone else think its dangerous to tell someone what they can and cannot wear based on their race?
Cant we all just get along?
Be nicer to each other. Its easy and its free
Are you saying they are bland because they are white and therefore all white people are bland and basic???? Racism
I’m actually Jamaican. This is definitely culture appropriation. This is a black hairstyle, for black people our hair can naturally loc without any mold issues. The Greeks that wore dreads were people of color. White people have no culture, so they just copy everyone and look sloppy doing so. 💅🏾
“White people have no culture?”
Come on. Have a better attitude than that
Treat people how you want to be treated
Be nicer to each other, its easy
So I guess learning Irish step dancing when I was in my pre-teens wasn’t a part of culture? LOL.
Paula, you’re very biased. Iceland, Scandinavia, various parts of the British Isles, central Europe, etc definitely have “cultures.” You weren’t paying much attention to history lessons. Since when are Greeks “people of color?” If they are given a separate racial category, which happens rarely, they are referred to as Mediterranean, which has 6 accepted subsets (Alpine, etc.) but you probably didn’t pay much attention in anthropology class either.
Yea “cyberpunk” dreadlocks lol GTFOH 🙅🏽
Bella Hadid is a terrible model.
Things people get offended by in 2016: EVERYTHING.
Nobody should say or do anything anymore because someone somewhere will take offense to what is said or done so just do nothing and be silent so nobody is offended.
Seriously, with all of the massive problems in this world, people are getting offended and hurt by a hairstyle at a fashion show?! This world is turning into a wimpy, pathetic place and I truly hope it changes soon.
Black people with dreadlocks are considered dirty, unprofessional and can lose their jobs for wearing them. Forever people have thought that way. Now it’s cool cause white girls are doing it? You would be pissed off if that was you, the black person. Total double standard. These girls like Kylie get lip injections, butt injections to have big lips, hips and butts., wear wigs and weave, do everything a black woman gets put down for: being curvy, having big lips, wearing fake hair, cornrows, dreadlocks. They get praised for being edgy, while black people still get insulted for having the same hairstyle these stupid rich kids copied from them. All because they are white, not black. Then to add insult to injury, they date and marry black men. While at the same time, not even acknowledging racial issues. Or their privelege, which allows them to get away with the same things black people are considered trash for doing/having these same features/hairstyles. I would be mad as h@ll if I was a black woman.
@ Snowflake – Mmm, ‘scuse me. I know college profs, stock brokers, entertainers, business owners, tech workers & bank tellers who wear dreads. Nobody thinks they are “dirty” or “homeless.” Homeless people I see usually smell bad, wear dirty clothes, very worn out (or no shoes), push shopping carts full of personal property, or lie on sidewalks in puddles of waste. Some beg on streets & babble incoherently. Why would I think a clean person with a job was homeless? I wouldn’t.
Why are you bothered about people dating or marrying those of a different race? White men marry Woc, Asian, & Indian women. Does that bother you? Why? Would you date someone whose race or skin color is different than yours? Why or why not? Are you discriminating based on appearance or do you actually meet these people who look different than you before you decide that you don’t want further interaction? Do you invite coworkers whose skin color is different than yours to get together or socialize outside of work? Must every style of hair & dress you use promote your historical culture, even if neither you, your parents, or grandparents have ever been to the region you claim as yours? Are you being consistent in your ideals if you ever wear anything or any style traditionally considered “white” or do you get to cross “color” lines while “whites” don’t? Do you wear jeans despite their being designed by Levi Strauss (white) for miners, prospectors, farmers & railroad workers? What about food? Can people partake of various traditional cuisines without being accused of cultural appropriation??
Same old ‘the world is too pc!’ complaint from someone who can’t handle others having an opinion that doesn’t jive with their concerns. I think it’s interesting you say the world is too wimpy but can’t produce reasoning anymore cerebral than a meager strawman argument, might want to toughen up a bit so in the future you can do better.
“He MUST be trolling. Nobody is so stupid as to compare black women having to assimilate by removing their natural curl and white girls costuming with the dreadlocks that black people actually lose job opportunities over.”
@Naya
YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES
But I think he WAS being stupid.
Getting a real My Little Pony vibe from the hair but I love the clothes. I would SO wear it all.
In the runway pic, Bella and Kendall have awful posture, and look like pretty poor runway walkers compared to the strutting lady in the red boots behind them. She has got it going on!
Something nice: I love the jacket on Bella- if only I were thirty years younger.
I wouldn’t call those models bland…
I think the most constructive thing would be to articulate how this could have been done better. While i see nothing wrong with the art and look of the dreads in his show, I personally LOVE the look, what would have been a better way to deal with this? There were black models but should there have been more? How many more would have been reasonable amount so that it could have been more socially conscious? It is my understanding he hired a black woman to make this dreads and this gig and the exposure is a significant business opportunity for her I am sure so thats a positive…
Instead of demonizing Marc, who is in fashion which is art which has never been bound by PC…why dont we change the conversation.
Such an excellent article – tamping down on manufactured outrage and silliness.
His fashion is far more offensive.