Bollywood Cowboy- Fashion Cares '05

[OnaFyre]

Just found this interesting and provacative article...

http://www.indianelectronica.com/content/view/242/148/

Topic for discussion: Does this event theme contradict MAC's inclusive philosophy? It's my opinion that it does. What do other people think?

It's old, but I did a search and it doesn't look like anyone has mentioned it before.

 

[sigwing]

That's really an interesting article!
You know, though, I can't imagine such a positive event and its focus would not have done everything to try to foresee people who might view anything connected with it as insulting or not "politically correct." If there were blonde white women wearing certain outfits and bindis, I would imagine they were doing it more in honor of the culture and in celebration of the event, not as a derogatory costume.

 

[aziajs]

Thanks for posting this. That is a really interesting article. I am going to read it again. I will say this, I am not surprised at the lack of asians or indians at the event. It really seems about par for the course. It seems as though the target of the event was not to be authentic or accurately portray Bollywood culture. It was to pick a few images people associate with Bollywood and use them for a theme. It's kind of a watered down version of Bollywood. I personally think if you are going to do it, do it all the way, don't half-ass it but that is what happens at a lot of events. I was just talking about the lack of authenticity at events like this with an event planner last week.

But what I will also say is that what the writer was saying is legit. I hate it when people are quick to write situations like this off as insignifigant or blown out of porportion. This is a really good example of dismissing prejudice and insensitivity which will just encourage more prejudice and insensitivity in the future. It's a very slippery slope.

 

[sigwing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aziajs Thanks for posting this. That is a really interesting article. I am going to read it again. I will say this, I am not surprised at the lack of asians or indians at the event. It really seems about par for the course.

You know, with what I read here on this site, it seems that MAC is popular in all parts of the world, and there are even Asian exclusive things, so I hope this thing wasn't promoted badly where it offended people like the article sounds. I'd like to think that if it did, MAC and everyone involved with the event was horrified in finding that out.

 

[Lalli]

from the way the articles written it would be obvious to assume that inviting south asians would have been a logical thing to do, after all mac is all about all races all colors etc etc

 

[glittergoddess27]

I think that was the point,... it is a fundraiser with a theme more than it is supposed to be cultural event. Two completely different types of events,.. and I would think that was kinda obvious. I think the person that wrote this article,.. not having known what Fashion Cares was all about maybe got a wrong impression. I think all the asian cultures are very interesting and am just glad to see that people are starting to at least recognize it in some form. As they say the best form of flattery is mimicry.

 

[OnaFyre]

I do think its problematic for MAC to support this sort of cultural appropriation (or misappropriation). It's problematic for folks to participate or take from the most benign areas of a culture without looking at what role oppression played in that culture or how, in this case, a colonial and post colonial landscape shaped the parts of the culture that are featured in the event. Yes, its fashion and makeup, but this does undermine I think its unfortunate that Indian culture is reduced to a theme at a party and that those offended by it are seen as having "the wrong impression." I think the author has a point, we would not support the use of black face to promote aids awareness, so why is this form of yellow face deemed appropriate in the service of aids awareness?

 

[glittergoddess27]

Well,.. I guess here in Indiana we have cultural events dedicated to specific cultures so to me it comes from completely different point of view,.. we just had Black Expo last weekend here it showcases the black culture in many ways, not just the benign,..I suppose if I were expecting a true representation of cultural values it would be at an event of this caliber and not at a MAC event? I understand your point of view as well. It would be nice to see more cities initiate events that do truly represent a culture on all levels and not have something like a fund raiser be the only representation for people out there to be exposed to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnaFyre I think the author has a point, we would not support the use of black face to promote aids awareness, so why is this form of yellow face deemed appropriate in the service of aids awareness?

And I have a question? I thought Missy Elliot been the face of Viva Glam? and AIDs Awareness program? Maybe I am misunderstanding what you are saying here??

 

[OnaFyre]

I'm so glad you brought both of these things up. Black Expo is an event put on by black people for the black community with a secondary concern for the wider community. In this case, the culture cannot exploit itself in the same way that another culture can. It's very similar to the in-group, out-group humor debate. Or even the n-word debate.

I used "black face" as a historical term, and not a reference to actual black people supporting a product. For more information on black face, please take a look at this Wikipedia article
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface>. For me, MAC's commitment to inclusivity and partnership with people like Missy, MJB, Eve, etc. makes something like Bollywood Cowboy so hard to support because it has a strong potential to undermine that mission.

 

[shabdebaz]

The article did have an interesting point of view, but I agree with glittergoddess27. Every year, Fashion Cares has to have a theme...and that's all "Bollywood Cowboy" was...a theme, not a cultural event. I don't think much thought was put into the whole thing beyond just that.

Like aziajs said, people picked and chose the "cool" things in Indian culture right now and themed a party out of it. Who doesn't think mehndi, bindis, saris, nose piercings, ornate jewellery and extravagant, colourful outfits are not "cool"?

Hey, being Indian myself, I'm happy that a country with a population of more than a billion people and a rich, rich history is finally getting talked about in the Western world. People have to start somewhere, right? They might learn that there is a lot more to India than just these things.

 

[OnaFyre]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shabdebaz I don't think much thought was put into the whole thing beyond just that.

Ah-ha! And here is the crux of the issue! I wish MAC had put more thought into the whole thing. Was there any move to incorporate actual Indian folks into this event or their input? How bout partnerships with Indian cultural groups or community organizations? What a great opportunity to talk about AIDS as it affects India and the wider global community, but I get the sense that this was not covered in the themed event.
There's a great movie, hard to find, called Yellow Fever. It's about this exact issue, the cultural appropriation on Asian cultures. One of the featured professors in the film says something to the effect of, "Sure, wear a bindi! Put on a sari! But will you also take a share of my colonial past and racial oppression? That bindi means something to me. Does it mean more to you than a cool accessory?"

And I never put chop sticks in my hair again...

As I said before, sure its just make-up and fashion- surface stuff. But I think how we treat the surface tells us so much about how we treat each other as people.

 

[MeganGMcD]

Just decided to say

Lagaan is one of my favorite movies ever...

Not worth an argument

 

[shabdebaz]

OnaFrye, I really do see your point of view. But, I feel that it is okay for someone to, say, enjoy Indian food, or wear a sari at a certain event, or even try on mehndi or a bindi right now because it is fashionable, without having to understand what it really means to be Indian.

For example, a bindi does not have to have religious significance to someone who just wants to wear it. Bindis hold a religious significance in the Hindu religion, but many Muslims and Christians in India wear it! So, there shouldn't be a problem if someone not Indian wants to wear it. Just because someone wants to try out some of these things doesn't mean they have to have walked in an Indian's shoes.

 

[OnaFyre]

Honestly, I think people will do whatever they want to do regardless of how it affects other people. As a social justice activist, I think it's my duty to think about these issues and help other people to think about them. If that happens to bring about social change in the world, great. If not, then I did my part and will continue to do my part for as long as I can.

If people choose to thoughtlessly and casually partake of other people's cultures because it's cool,-without thinking about the blood sweat and tears that went into maintaining that culture in the first place or how the western world got access to those cultures- then I'm not going to stop them. I do think that it can be a gateway into greater cultural understanding, but it rarely is in practice. I really doubt that non-Indian people would still wear bindis and saris if they were to experience any of the discrimination that Indian folks sometimes experience for wearing traditional clothing.

I do take issue with MAC, a company that I support and have spent thousands of dollars on, supporting the comodification of Indian culture. It seems to me that MAC had a great opportunity to to bring some cultural awareness along with the cultural appropriation, but they squandered it. I really don't care if people wear bindis or saris or sombreros or FUBU- well, I may care in my head, but I do think people should do what they want- but I do care when I company I care about encourages it.