Do You Find These Dolce & Gabbana Earrings Racist?

by Jada Wong | 6:16 pm, September 25th, 2012

For spring 2013, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana sent out a collection inspired by their native home of Sicily, but some of the accessories, specifically several earrings, read more as questionable references to colonialism.

On Sunday, the designers sent out models dressed in burlap sack-esque dresses, oversized embellished tunics, and striped ensembles. Their hair was accessorized with colorful scarves, and some girls sported earrings in the shape of a black woman’s bust with a bright turban and fruit on top of the head. The earrings seem to reference Blackamoor statues, a common icon in Italian art of the colonial era — but one that is considered by many today to be an offensive relic of the past.

In the context of the show, the accessories are extremely questionable. This is a luxury brand owned by caucasian men, and a runway lineup that didn’t have a single black model. If we saw the earrings on any of our black friends, we’d probably think that they looked pretty rad. In other words: the earrings themselves aren’t inherently racist. But does that mean we’d feel comfortable wearing such accessories ourselves? Probably not. Which makes the whole thing a little murky.

Take a look at the earrings below, and tell us if you think they’re racist:

Enable JavaScript to check out our fancy slideshow.

1.A model walks in the Dolce & Gabbana show with the earrings in question.

2.A model at the Dolce & Gabbana show with a white version the earrings.

3.Another model sports the white version of the accessory.

4.And another.

5.Not a single black model walked.

[via Refinery 29]

blackamoor Dolce & Gabbana Dolce & Gabbana earrings MFW Spring 2013 Racism

NESSY

YES VERY………..
rjg

yes. next question
http://mrda.wordpress.com MRDA

Oh, for fuck’s sake!

The only “racism” evident here is that of Miss Wong who projects it onto a place where it doesn’t exist.

I’m guessing it was a slow news day at Styleite….
mr.b

i think your blog is STUPID! it last year it used to be my favorite, but it’s been a while that you’ve been posting the stupidest articles ever!
edgedes

I am guessing that if you put ‘racist’ into any news story it jumps up to the top of internet searches. No.
http://www.delectablychic.com CynthiaC.M.

I actually find them a bit tacky. Anything big like that is. Sorry, but my prep school background creeps up from time to time…only small studs and hoops allowed! Anything else is unlady-like and OTT.
http://www.ribbonaroundabomb.com/ La Lengua

Obviously.
Lucy

Don’t you know ever since we got a mixed race opresident that EVERYTHING is rascist. Absolutely everything!!!!! Even buying $500 sneakers when you are accepting food stamps and welfare!
Anonymous

That’s racist.
Anonymous

Jada Wong, I don’t think the African friends of your African friends would think they were pretty rad. They’d probably slap the person and say, “What the HELL is wrong with you? Go put those back!”
joe

so why is it “Rad” if a black person wears them, but not if a white person wears them?
joe

what if a black person wears earings with white faces on them?
puffdaddy

I think they’re ugly. Does that count?
Anonymous

Hell yes, they’re racist. Robertsons’ jam (and mincemeat) used a very similar look in the UK and got slammed for it repeatedly in the late 1990s and early turn of the century, despite having used it for decades. While the ‘white’ earrings don’t fit the stereotype, having all-white models and blackamoor-style earrings is about as okay as calling someone a Wog when you don’t have a pre-existing relationship with them.
lulu

Dolce and Gabbana are terrible racists,you remember Hong Kong case? moreover, they started to cooperate with russian mafia in kiev, ukraine. last month they opened a mono brand store in mandarin plaza, shopping center owned by fbi wanted gangster semion mogilevich…
marika

what are you talking about?= the dont have enough problems? have you heard about tax evasion? why Mogilevich? I know he is a godfather of russian mafia, but I thought he is in prison or sth. They reallly deal with him ?
Cassidy

OMG,, they are so stupid. I am shocked, trully. Why they opened a store in Ukraine in a shopping center owned by a mafioso? Not enough money or what? Mogilevich is really dangerous bastard and his Mandarin plaza is one of the most expensive shopping centers in Europe. But why Dolce and Gabbana were so stupid to cooperate with criminal?
jasmine

as a black person i dont mind designers being inspired by other cultures what bothers me is the lack of persons of color in their shows. we cant even represent whats ours. if its on a native its in national geo. but on a European/american white girl its in vogue. and with that being said other people’s culture should not be a fad.and why are they givng sicily credit? these did not start in sicily.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1043184177 Carolyn Kapricornkitti Thomas

Racist as hell…I didn’t see any earring depicting anything remotely close to a “White, negative stereotype”. Miss me with this nonsense. What?! Drape a racist depiction of a culture on a model and it’s now fashion….please.
GILLIAN

NO….I DONT THINK THEY ARE RACIST…THAT IS THE FURTHERIST THING FROM THEIR MINDS AND THE MINDS OF THE PRODUCER….ITS ALL ABOUT “LOOKS”….I THINK THEY ARE COOL…AND I WOULD WEAR THEM…NOW, MISS BLACK AMERICA, THATS RACIST!
connie

it’s not the same if a black person wears white faced earrings (using this broad example). Black people all around the world have been oppressed over, over and over again because of their skin color (typically ranging darker than white people), cultures, languages and heritages. White and black people are NOT on the same level today. White people hold the privilege, so if they wear jewelry with disembodied black heads, it’s fashion. If they wear jewelry with disembodied white heads, it’s fashion as well.

However, if black people do anything like that, then it’s considered ‘racist’. But remember….white people hold significant political, social, cultural and economic people over black people. Always remember that.
margarita

Beyonce and Jay-Z? Oprah? Barack Obama?…ok!…”White and black people are NOT on the same level today”

Do You Find These Dolce & Gabbana Earrings Racist?

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