Is Ethnic Beauty The New 'It' Factor?

Check out this recent article from CNN:

(CNN) -- Women who desire a more "exotic" appearance are looking to the fashion world's growing multi-culturalism for inspiration.

There was a time when the Caucasian girl-next-door looks of Christie Brinkley, Cindy Crawford and more recently Kate Moss dominated the fashion pages. Then came new fashion icons: Naomi Campbell, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce - and then Giselle, Kim Kardashian and Shakira.

More voluptuous figures, fuller lips and darker skin, features traditionally associated with women of African, Latin and Asian cultures, are "in." Over the past decade, an appreciation for ethnic beauty has been on the rise, and these natural features are becoming popular among Caucasian women who desire to look more "exotic."

Dr. Nancy Etcoff, a Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital psychologist who studies the science behind the brain and beauty, believes that the shift in our perception of beauty is a sign of the times.

"Our standards of beauty are changing and ethnic women are at the forefront today," she said. "It emulates our growing sense of cultural awareness."

Etcoff, who also authored "Survival of the Prettiest," adds: "If you study plastic surgery textbooks, the notions of an ideal feature have changed. In the 50s, the ideal look featured thinner lips, upturned noses, smaller eyes, and paler makeup," Etcoff said. "Now you see broader noses, darker skin, and larger eyelids. All these attributes suggest shifts in demographics and an appeal to a more multicultural look instead of an overly Caucasian appearance."

Read more by clicking here.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Some women desire ethnic features to achieve an "exotic" look,
- Larger bottoms and fuller lips are among the most popular exotic beauty trends,
- As America's population changes, the standards of beauty change experts say,
- Companies earned over $3 billion between 2005 and 2009 in multicultural beauty market .

Tsk Tsk, Rodarte

Ah, Rodarte. The fashion line has committed a fashion faux pas, and Nadra Kareem over at Race in America calls them on it. On many occasions, designers - like artists - are keenly aware of social issues. Other times, unfortunately, they seem to be in la-la land. Check it out:


M.A.C.'s New Makeup Line Makes Light of Women Living in Deadly Juarez
by Nadra Kareem

M.A.C. Cosmetics and a designer duo known as Rodarte have apologized for collaborating on a new makeup line inspired by female factory workers in the deadly border town of Juarez, Mexico. And rightfully so.

The line features blush, eye shadow, nail polish and gloss in shades such as “Ghost Town,” “Sleepless,” “Factory” and “Quinceanera.” But this ode to maquila chic has outraged socially-conscious stylistas. That’s because since 1993, the bodies of about 800 women and girls, many of them young, indigenous factory workers, have surfaced in the Chihuahuan desert. Few arrests have been made in these killings, thanks to how those responsible are reportedly able to silence Juarez's corruption-plagued authorities.

Given the murders, what made Rodarte decide that it would be in good taste to launch a cosmetics line — not to mention a fashion collection — about the workers? Evidently, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the sisters behind Rodarte, took a road trip last year to Marfa, Texas from El Paso, Texas, which borders Juarez.

“The ethereal nature of this landscape influenced the creative development and desert palette of the collection,” the sisters explained. “We are truly saddened about injustice in Juarez.”

I don’t doubt that the Mulleavy Sisters feel sorry for the factory workers in Juarez, but that didn’t prevent the duo from exoticizing — and marginalizing — the women in their cosmetics and fashion lines. In the runway show for Rodarte’s newest collection, models in pale foundation and heavy eye makeup donned layered pieces featuring goat hair, chiffon, shearling and lace. Think Olsen twins meet Mexican peasant.

If only Juarez was made up of peasant women. In fact, it is a city of 1.5 million people. The women there don’t herd sheep or look like extras from the set of a trite Mexican period piece. They wear jeans and T-shirts and heels and sneakers like women do in any big city.

Having lived in El Paso for two years, I’ve made more trips to Juarez than I remember, so I had ample opportunity to take in the local fashions. Viewing the Rodarte collection, however, I seriously question if the Mulleavy Sisters ever stepped foot there.

I understand that an undercurrent of fantasy always runs through fashion, but the Rodarte collection has practically no basis in reality, as far as the Juarez maquiladora workers are concerned. Seriously, why would factory workers cloak themselves in shawls and layered patchwork pieces that could easily get caught on machinery? I raise this point to suggest that the Mulleavy Sisters weren’t inspired by actual Mexican factory workers, but by their stereotypes of them. In short, in attempting to pay tribute to these women, they othered them, kind of like sports teams who claim to honor the Native American warriors they turn into mascots.

So were the Mulleavy Sisters wrong to launch a fashion collection “inspired” by the maquiladora workers? If fashion is art and art can effect social change, not necessarily. But the sisters erred by duping themselves and their audience into thinking they were representing reality. Those who viewed the show described it as playful and beautiful — a vision far removed from its so-called inspiration.

What if the show hadn’t stirred up such warm feelings but made viewers uncomfortable and appalled, as anyone who learns of the Juarez murders should be? What if before the show, the sisters hadn’t simply described taking a road trip to a place with a dreamy landscape, but prepared some words about the ongoing rape, mutilation and murder of Juarez's female factory workers? Perhaps the audience would’ve left motivated to learn more about the issue and take action.

In light of the controversy about the cosmetics line, M.A.C. recently announced that it will give a portion of the proceeds from the M.A.C. Rodarte collection to support those in Juarez. That’s a praiseworthy step. But it took serious public outcry to motivate the company to take it. If M.A.C. and Rodarte genuinely care about what’s happening along the border, they should have planned to raise funds and awareness for Juarez from the outset.

For more about this topic, read Oh Industry's article, Maquiladoras are In for Fall, or Thread Bared's article where you will find not only a video of Rodarte's fashion show, but also a video clip of the documentary on Maquiladoras.

[Images of Rodarte's Fall 2010 line from Coutorture.com]

Review | Fashion Week Trinidad & Tobago

Wow, ever since I started researching Native American fashion, I have also been interested in Native, tribal, or Indigenous fashion elsewhere - i.e. Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Polynesia, etc - and I've come across some really neat things in my search. One of the latest gems is the Trinidad and Tobago Fashion Week held this time each year. Well, I say each year, but they've only just begun, with this recent showing being their third year.

I’m charting the launching of ‘other’ fashion weeks (by ‘other,’ I mean those that are not the established top 4: New York, London, Milan, Paris) because I am interested in the idea or possibility of a ‘Native American’ fashion week (perhaps years down the road?), or a fashion collective that could show at New York. Seeing the buzz that these organizations draw is exciting because it demonstrates a conversation that is occurring – one in which nations are saying “Hey, check us out, we’ve got some innovative and creative (and sometimes culturally ‘traditional’) ideas for fashion.”


The third annual installment of Fashion Week Trinidad & Tobago (FWTT) was highly anticipated and featured the largest number of designers in its history. With a whopping 50 designers recorded, the event launched in Tobago on May 29-31 before moving to Trinidad from June 2-6. The line-up featured 40 designers from T&T and 10 from other Caribbean nations.

“Forty is the highest number of local designers featured in their own country of any Caribbean fashion event,” Richard Young, Fashion Week Trinidad & Tobago’s artistic director stated.

“We were flooded with requests and interest not only locally but regionally, so we were able to select an eclectic mix to reach a wider cross section of fashion to meet buying tastes.”

Each runway show uniquely displayed designs and creations encompassing five branded categories: Caribbean Cutting Edge, Cosquelle Swimwear, Nouveau Caribbean, New World Style, and Haute Caribbean.

The focus for Fashion Week Trinidad & Tobago is to revitalize and develop the local fashion industry and bring about the awareness of its socio-economic potential. FWTT organizers recognize the tremendous creative and technical fashion talent present in T&T and strive to provide opportunities for the fashion industry’s development – both locally and regionally – with the ultimate goal of becoming a global fashion force. With FWTT's exposure, they undoubtedly also offer a great deal of diversity to the fashion world (especially when it comes to models - check 'em out in the images below).

In its third year, FWTT paid tribute to 2010 as the year of Biodiversity. Honoring proactive initiatives for the preservation of nature and for current and future human wellbeing, FWTT3 designated three major agendas:

1. Staying power
2. Sustainable development
3. Style definition

FWTT3 hopes to provide opportunities for young people to access the ability, authority and agency to influence decisions and implement change within the developing local fashion industry.

They also hope to define a Caribbean aesthetic – an alternative fashion perspective born out of a regional experience, and charting a new-world identity characterized by an inimitable Trinbagonian style.

Fashion Week Trinidad & Tobago 2010 also launched its first every seminar series. The seminars covered topics including intellectual property and copyright, the business of fashion, developing greater Caribbean export, styling and photography, the definition of the Caribbean Aesthetic, and the influence of technology on fashion.

(Information from CaribbeanLifeNews.com and fwtt.org. All images are from the Fashion Week Trinidad & Tobago website, and are from FWTT2. I tried to include an image from each designer - but there were too many fabulous designs! I loved looking through their images - if you're bored or procrastinating, definitely check them out on their website at fwtt.org)

Article | Techno Tribal, Tribal Punk in Fashion

("Tribal Punk" (Cheek), photo by Felix Wong)

Techno Tribal, Tribal Punk in fashion
by Remodel Minority

Tribal is the new cool thing kids. Fashion site WhoWhatWear.com featured “Techno Tribal” in their Trend Report (source). In their words:

Last spring, we noticed a preponderance of fashion-forward femmes who were trying the Tribal Punk trend: think ethnic prints paired with loads of leather and studs. Of course, prints are huge news for spring as well, but we are pleased to report that this year both designers and directional dressers are taking a new approach to patterns. This season the focus has shifted to digitally engineered prints that riff on classic Native American and African folk art in hyper-bright colors. And while the influences of these Az-Tech looks come from all over the globe, we are beyond pleased to gather our favorites right here in today’s Trend Report featuring our favorite Techno Tribal looks!

Anyone catch the (racist) pun? I personally have a morbid fascination with the fashion industry. It’s something that I have come to enjoy (and indulge in at times) but I feel quite critical of it. Here, the appropriation of said “tribal” cultures is problematic and the fact that mainstream fashion is now catching on only helps to propagate illusions of “nativism.” Many of these fashions are influenced by an underlying matrix of stereotypes and bourgeois fantasies. Specific cultures and their cultural productions have become regular images in an industry dominated by eurocentric and elitist ideals. The spread in Cheek Magazine (pictured) detailing “tribal punk” shows a white model costumed in a turban, headscarf, dreadlock-looking braid things, geometric prints (clearly “ethnic inspired”), stone beading, etc.

Analogously, hipsters have also taken to appropriating Native headdress as illustrated on Adrienne’s blog Native Appropriations. She writes, “I’m guessing it’s just an iteration of the tribal fashion trends, with a little bit of the desire to be counter culture thrown in there” (source). I definitely agree with her, but I think there is more than a little bit of desire to be counterculture on the hipsters’ part. These appropriations take advantage of already grounded ideas of exoticism, “rawness,” and “otherness” of non-white cultures, and then repackage them with alluring unconventionality and uniqueness. Which, of course, just furthers the marginalization of people of color and their cultures.

For many, fashion is a medium for self-expression. It can help you escape mediocrity, monotony, and the mainstream. However, tribal fashion trends only exacerbate censored depictions of historically oppressed cultures. In other words, appropriation is often times advertised as a “celebration” of cultures but we only get a guilt-free, clean, re-envisioned replication. For those who wonder why cultural appropriation is considered offensive by many people, I think it is best stated by Tami on her blog What Tami Said: “What’s so wrong with being inspired by another culture? I’m not sure how to answer, because borrowing from a historically oppressed culture is not as simple as some would want it to be. Fair or not, there are hundreds of years of meaning behind that faux African print dress, that Motown-inspired tune and the silent Harajuku posse” (source).

All I can say for sure is that there’s a fine line between inspiration and appropriation, appreciation and exploitation in the world of fashion. Let’s continue to keep a critical eye on trends such as these.

[see original here at Remodel Minority]

Marketing Ethnic Chic

I missed this presentation because I was in Arizona for the Heard Market, but last week, Sydney Sullivan presented in Albuquerque on 'Ethnic Chic' - It sounded like an amazing presentation and I wish I could have caught it! Here's a short article about it:

CMC Major Presents at National Conference
March 09, 2010
Critical Media and Cultural Studies major Sydney Sullivan (Class of 2010), presented "Marketing Ethnic Chic: How the Fashion Industry Has 'No Reservations'," at the annual Native American Literature Symposium (NALS) held at the tribal venue at Isleta Pueblo in Albuquerque, NM, on March 4, 2010.

Sullivan’s presentation focused on an examination of what the fashion industry terms "ethnic chic," and on how and in what ways the historical and contemporary fashion industry--from ads in fashion magazines to fashion blogs to runways--co-opted and continue to co-opt Native American designs, textiles and images. Her findings suggest that the fashion industry continues to diminish American Indian identities by “exoticizing” Native American tribes while at the same time promoting hegemonic ideals of American [Western] consumerism.

"Sydney captured the complicity of institutional racism and presented articulately and with compelling image representation," said Jane Hafen, Associate Professor of English at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Clan Mother of the Native American Literature Symposium.

The Native American Literature Symposium, with its "Many Voices, One Center" maxim, is organized by an independent group of Indigenous scholars committed to making a place where Native voices can be heard. Since 2001, they have brought together some of the most influential voices in Native America to share stories--in art, prose, poetry, film, religion, history, politics, music, philosophy, and science--from their worldview.

Sullivan was encouraged to submit a presentation proposal to NALS by Assistant Professor of Critical Media and Cultural Studies Denise K. Cummings, who also presented at the symposium. Sydney's work on "ethnic chic" was developed in CMC 350: Native American Media and Cultural Studies, with Cummings, and CMC 400: Senior Seminar - Research Practicum in CMCS, with Lisa M. Tillmann. The Office of the Dean of the Faculty and the Department of Critical Media and Cultural Studies supported Sydney's conference experience.

[originial article from Rollins]