The Capitalization of Marginalization

The capitalization of the

When models marched down the runway wearing t-shirts that demanded “we should all be feminists,” at Dior’s SS 2017 show, the fashion world cheered. And then, upon further consideration, the same world grappled and hesitated with the shirt’s implications. Considering the overwhelming whiteness of the models, was Dior including people of color in the feminist movement? What about people with body types LQٺMZMV\\PIV\PI\WN \PMUWLMT[')VLKWV[QLMZQVO\PMXZQKM\IOIZM people other than the extremely wealthy allowed to be spokespeople for \PMUW^MUMV\'2][\_PWLMÅVML\PM¹_Mº,QWZ[XWSMWN '

The world never got the answer to these questions, but instead received more contrived attempts to get political. In 2015, Karl Lagerfeld also tapped into the growing activist and feminist movement with his Spring Chanel show. Models came down the runway with signs that ZMIL[TWOIV[TQSM¹*M,QٺMZMV\ºIVL¹5I\KP\PM5IKPW[ºUQUQKSQVOI protest. Only this protest minimized the point of other, far less glamorous, sometimes violent protests happening outside the utopic Paris Fashion ?MMS?PQTM4IOMZNMTLQV[Q[\ML¹*M,QNNMZMV\ºPQ[UWLMT[_MZM ITT \PQV tall, and largely white. And “Match the Machos” only encouraged a male-centric, masculine vision of power. It was unironic that the man who once shamed feminists like Adele for being “too fat” failed in sending a message of inclusion. While his models walked the walk, Lagerfeld didn’t try to talk the talk.

In all, Dior and Chanel’s attempts at marketing towards the marginalized were wilted, commercialized, minimizing, and exclusive. While it is a good thing that designers want to use their platforms to spread activist messages, they also need to recognize the weight that those messages carry in the real world. Irresponsible, shallow use of the feminist tag makes it apolitical and frivolous. A more feminist statement could have included more Black models, a plus size model, LQBTQA+ models, or even female politicians as models. Dior reduced Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s feminist text literally to a title, glossing over the messages within. That isn’t to say Dior should’ve put the whole book on the t-shirt, or that they don’t believe Adichie’s words, but no further meaning was attempted through the rest of the clothes or show. In sum, neither Dior or Chanel have attempted to commit to feminism. Their attempts to appeal to hashtag activism and twitter hysteria were thinly veiled.

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Forever 21, for example, has come out with multiple pieces of clothing branded as “feminist.” But even worse than turning feminist into an apolitical message, Forever 21 actually hinders the feminist movement. In an article published by the Los Angeles Times, the workers who make clothing for Forever 21 work in sweatshops where they are paid as little I[IVPW]Z5W[\WN \PM[M_WZSMZ[IZM_WUMVIVLUWZM[XMKQÅKITTa women of color. So the women who arguably need feminism most –– lowincome women of color –– are being exploited by brands who claim they are supporting it by splashing its name on a t-shirt. Thus, women buying this clothing are arguably a part of this problem, too. While fashion is a means of showcasing identity, if you identify as a feminist, a more holistic approach to the movement is needed.

To make things worse, large companies such as Forever 21 often take their designs from small companies that actually do tangible work to incite change. Wildfang, a company that designed the Instagram famous “Wild Feminist” t-shirt seen on celebrities and activists like Ellen Page and St. Vincent, recently accused Forever 21 of copyright infringement when the fast fashion retailer started selling a t-shirt with the same slogan. Though .WZM^MZ[WTL\PM\[PQZ\NWZWVTa!!\PQ[TW_XZQKMUIaKWUMI\\PM cost of unethical wages.

“I would love to know how much everyone in that supply chain was paid, because I can tell you can tell you that I pay well above minimum wage for anyone in my company,” Wildfang CEO Emma Mcilroy told :MÅVMZa!¹1LWV¼\SVW_PW_aW]UISMIOIZUMV\TQSM\PI\¸M\PQKITTa IVL[][\IQVIJTa¸NWZJ]KS[º 5MIV_PQTM \PM  ?QTLNIVO ^MZ[QWV LQZMK\Ta JMVMÅ\[ NMUQVQ[\ KPIZQ\QM[IVLWZOIVQbI\QWV[IVQV^IT]IJTMJMVMÅ\WN J]aQVO[UITT ¹?PMVaW]ZQXWٺ\PI\<[PQZ\aW]¼ZMVW\R][\ZQXXQVOWٺ][aW]¼ZM also taking money out of the pocket of Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, because 10% of every product that we make goes directly to them,” Mcilroy said. <PQ[Q[V¼\\PMÅZ[\\QUM.WZM^MZPI[ZMKMQ^MLKZQ\QKQ[UNWZSVWKSQVOWٺ smaller, charitable brands either. Word Agency, the company responsible for the Creator shirt, featuring the word “woman” in a variety of languages, donated 25% of the sales to Planned Parenthood. According to \PMQZ_MJ[Q\M\PM\[PQZ\_I[\PMQZ¹KWV\ZQJ]\QWV\W_IZL\PMÅOP\NWZJM\\MZ women’s healthcare in the United States and abroad. Women are creators, givers of life the well being of a woman’s body should be of the utmost importance.” As you might have guessed, Forever 21 took this design and lowered the price, keeping money from the women’s health organization. 1\¼[VW\R][\JQOJZIVL[_PWIZMQZWVQKITTaM`XTWQ\QVO_WUMV5WLMT and actress Cara Delevingne started selling shirts with the slogan “the future is female,” originally the catch phrase for Labyris Books, a women’s JWWS[\WZMWXMVMLQV6M_AWZS+Q\aQV!;UITTY]MMZ_WUIVW_VML brand Otherwild adapted the design into their t-shirts, making sure to respect the copyright, and donating to Planned Parenthood in the process. ;\QTT,MTM^QOVMKWXQML\PMLM[QOVNWZPMZW_VJMVMÅ\

=VNWZ\]VI\MTa \PM QLMI WN  KIXQ\ITQbI\QWV Wٺ UIZOQVITQbI\QWV PI[ trickled down to lower-end brands. Of course, these brands aren’t looking to send a real message –– slapping a slogan on a t-shirt demands no responsibility to the movement, minimizing feminism to a simple trend.

By now, this story is commonplace. With countless other big brands marketing towards feminists and activists, it is up to the consumer to decide what is more important to them: the ability to advertise their feminist identity on a shirt, or the ability to know their identity is backed up by ethical, committed, and inclusive actions.

Photographer: Becca Rudman Model: Danielle Colbert T-shirts from Wildfang