Marc Jacobs Under Fire for Cultural Appropriation at New York Fashion Week
At this year’s New York Fashion Week,
Marc Jacobs dressed his models in pastel-colored dreadlocks as part of his runway show for his SS17 collection. There was an uproar as many recognize his use of dreadlocks on mostly non-black women as cultural appropriation. However the real issue comes from this statement that he made via an Instagram comment to a critic:
“And all who cry ‘cultural appropriation’ or whatever nonsense about any race of skin color wearing their hair in a particular style or manner – funny how you don’t criticize women of color for straightening their hair. I respect and am inspired by people and how they look. I don’t see color or race- I see people. I’m sorry to read that so many people are so narrow minded … Love is the answer. Appreciation of all and inspiration from anywhere is a beautiful thing. Think about it.”
There were MANY issues with Jacobs’ response to his critics but the most upsetting is the fact that he says “I don’t see color or race- I see people.” Many interpreted this as “I don’t see color, I don’t see your oppression, I don’t see your issue, I don’t see you.” If anything, his statement made the situation worse…so subsequently, he created an Instagram post to apologize:
“I HAVE READ ALL OF YOUR COMMENTS….. …and I thank you for expressing your feelings. I apologize for the lack of sensitivity unintentionally expressed by my brevity. I wholeheartedly believe in freedom of speech and freedom to express oneself through art, clothes, words, hair, music…EVERYTHING. Of course I do “see” color but I DO NOT discriminate. THAT IS A FACT! Please continue to express your feelings freely but do it kindly. Nothing is gained from spreading hate by name calling and bullying.”
While Jacobs clarified his “I don’t see color” comment, he refused to apologize for his comment “funny how you don’t criticize women of color for straightening their hair.” The reason why cultural appropriation is a big deal is because the same people who have historically bashed and further oppressed people of color for their culture (dreadlocks and other natural hairstyles, bindis, henna, hijabs, etc.) are the same people taking said culture and borrowing it to make a “cool fashion statement” only to throw it away when it is no longer convenient for them. The reason why women of color who straighten their hair are not appropriating any culture is because straight hair is not exclusive to non-WOC. It is a common misconception that women of color cannot naturally have straight hair. Women of color come in many different variations and straight hair is not exclusive to any one culture.
Another thing to note is that women of color are EXPECTED to assimilate to straight hair. There are many employers who refuse to hire women of color who wear their hair in its natural state because it is deemed as “unkempt” or “unprofessional” so to imply that women of color straightening their hair is cultural appropriation is not only an implication that Jacobs doesn’t seem to understand the concept of cultural appropriation, but it also shows that his apology was both insensitive and uneducated.
Hopefully this will serve as a lesson, to not only Marc Jacobs but to many other designers out there who want to borrow other cultures to make a statement. Hopefully this situation teaches all to be mindful of their actions, speech, and to consult with a PR team before releasing public statements on sensitive topics! Join the conversation and tweet us your opinion on the matter at https://twitter.com/HerCampusTowson!