On September 30, Karl Lagerfeld sent his models down the catwalk holding what we are to interpret as “feminist” “protest signs.” Too stupid to understand what feminism is and also what words mean, this is what he came up with.
OMG stoppppppp. Please. Make it stop.
These signs read like something a ten year old came up with. Though, if a ten year old had come up with these slogans I’d be far more stoked…
“Be different!” “Free freedom!” “Fashion not war!” “Be your own stylist!”
The lone “He for She” placard held by a man at the back, we are to believe, is a nod to the UN campaign recently promoted by Emma Watson, therefore legitimizing Lagerfeld’s attempt at faking politics.
Not buying it.
I bet you money Lagerfeld will try to brush this off as a joke (HA! Feminist protest is such a hoot!) or as a publicity stunt because that’s what dumbass celebrities seem to do when called out on their weak/misguided attempts to be “political” — Globe and Mail columnist, Jeanne Beker, sure did! This morning on CBC’s The Current, Anna Maria Tremonti spoke with the creator and long-time host of Fashion Television, who gave Lagerfeld far more credit than he deserves, saying: “I don’t think he is using [feminism] to sell his clothes. You have to understand that Karl, like many designers of our time, are involved with the zeitgeist…and what’s on people’s minds… and young people and what they’re thinking.”
HA HA HA.
Ha.
I don’t think Karl Lagerfeld has any idea what’s on his mind, never mind the minds of the general public.
Beker then claims that this “statement” stems from the fact that “people are waking up, once again… to notions of feminism and female empowerment.”
Well yeah. Seems like maybe they are. But the fashion industry isn’t. Lagerfeld sure isn’t. He clearly caught wind of “feminism” via Beyonce or Emma Watson and decided to try to glom on to the movement to end patriarchy and violence against women, in order to — YEP SORRY JEANNE — sell clothes! I mean, that is what the fashion industry does, after all… That and ensure that women and girls have plenty of unattainable and unhealthy standards to live up to, physically, teaching them to forever hate their bodies and bank accounts…
Tremonti brings up the fact that Lagerfeld called Adele “fat” a couple of years ago, to which Beker responds: “You do have to understand that Karl loves to stir it up,” Beker laughs. “He’s just that kind of impish guy who will say things that are often, yes, very inappropriate… he doesn’t really think sometimes before he talks… People really want to get their backs up about something like this…”
Ugh. And the award for least original comment of the year goes to…
Like, really? “He’s just joking” “Oh, people just like to get riled up” is your response to a man who is very clearly an entitled, superficial person who doesn’t give a rats ass about women’s self-worth or self-esteem?
Not only was Lagerfeld’s sad attempt to jump onto the Hot! New! Trend! that is FEMINISM! completely embarrassing in its ignorance, but it most definitely has not “stirred up controversy” or “[woken] people up a little bit,” (as Beker seems to believe was perhaps the intent) so much as it has made clear that feminism is not meant to be a pop culture meme.
Some fashion folks seemed to buy into his stunt, fashion blogger and editor of cosmopolitan.com, Amy Odell, tweeting: “Awesome feminist statement at Chanel — for once do not care a flip about the shoes because THIS IS EVERYTHING.”
I’m sorry, but what feminist statement?? Where is it?
I’m not against fashion as, like, a thing. I’m not saying, even, that fashion isn’t capable of being political — of course it can be. But this is just silliness.
All this stunt has accomplished, in my eyes, is to reconvince me that the fashion industry is populated by vapid, superficial, apolitical idiots.
Get off our bandwagon, Lagerfeld.