A racist little
outfit
Victoria’s Secret recently decided to add a dash of
racism to their new line, called “Go East” which features lots of what they
call “touches of eastern delight.” In Racialicious; a website that dissects the
intersection of race and popular culture, accused Victoria’s secrets’ new line isn’t
celebrating the beauty of a fabric patterns or design motif, but it is in fact
promoting a racially and sexually demeaning fantasy version of Asian women.
It has not been a problem having “white” costumes
around for years and now that we have an “Asian” costume it’s a problem all of
a sudden. The central argument of such approach is that there is a difference
in power, which allows the naming of some racial and ethnic groups (e.g. ‘blacks,’
‘Asians’) and not others (e.g. ‘whites’). Social scientists have developed
understandings of how social structures constructed around notions of race and
ethnicity contribute to maintaining a relatively stable heirachy of social
positions and racialised inequality.
“The meaning of whiteness has always been
associated with relative privilege and a higher status that that accorded to
non-white identities.” What, exactly is meant by ‘white’? What are the meanings
associated with this category that make it such an object of desirable
identification? For Richard Dyer (1997), the answer lies in considering the
meanings that white people have associated with whiteness in representations of
themselves throughout history.
Biological explanations of difference are
insufficient in accounting for the political and economic differences that are
reproduced along racial lines, but rather, wuch differences are better
explained by paying attention to the ways in which biological features such a
skin colour came to be associated with particular social positions and
discursive meanings. The validity of social constructions of race becomes clear
when we consider the ways in which particular racial categories have shifted
over time. History tells us that racial categories are highly flexible,
shifting their borders and content in response to specific historical events
and relations of power.
Considering the complicated history of geishas,
repurposing the ‘geisha look’ for a major corporation to sell as role-playing
lingerie is nothing more than “a troubling attempt to sidestep authentic
representation and humanization of a culture and opt instead for racialized
fetishizing against women.”
References:
·
Farida Fozdar , Raelene Wilding; Mary Hawkins, Race and ethnic relations,South Melbourne, Vic. :
Oxford University Press 2009
It is a very interesting post! Such problem that had been mentioned in the blog is no doubt around us everyday. You can spot different types of cultural costume anywhere in the city. You don't know which cultural fashion will be "in" for the next season. For example, British vintage style, Asian pattern. I mean you could see super stars wearing them on the red carpet. Therefore, I personally don't really see a problem with this "Asian Fashion", it is in some sense pretty normal and interesting to me. And I also don't think the designer who designed this costume was racist against Asian, or else why would he/she even design it?!
ReplyDeleteHowever, there is a problem if you bring it deep down. Luxurious brand such as Louis Vuitton, Hermes, etc. are mostly European brands. It makes people wonder if they were just teasing Asians by allowing a White girl wearing some sort of "Asian Fashion clothes". Not only that, the sexuality represented behind that has been criticised by many people. On Friday's MX, there was a fashion page with a Muslim girl dressed up in style. It did not impact me but I was wondering if it was appropriate for editor to just post something like that on newspaper.
There is Whiteness to it. It brings not direct discrimination to people. I was in fact feeling like that when I first got to Australia. There are people calling me a "fob" and I don't feel comfortable with it. However, since I know that I'm in a "White" (English speaking) country, I felt powerless. There is a invisible hierarchy bounded in this society.