When the rise to fame is utterly stratospheric and the world is made hazy by money, power and position it's sometimes hard to see the difference between good and evil. Marc Jacobs and Calvin Klein both infamously survived rehab and Yves St. Laurent spent his life fighting the demons that Alexander McQueen couldn't outrun. At the heart of fashion's most recent headline grabbing scandal of destruction is John Galiano. As of today he is officially fashion's latest casualty of shame. And falling with sales is the relationship the legacy fashion house maintains with its newest face and the world's newest Oscar winner Natalie Portman.
Galiano was suspended from Dior late last week after being accused of launching into a verbally abusive and anti-Semitic tirade against a French couple seated next to him at a bar (lowlights include telling the woman, "Dirty Jewish face…you should be dead," and the man, "f--king Asian bastard, I will kill you." The woman subsequently was not a Jew.
Upon another video released this weekend, Galliano, who has been with the label since 1997 has been outwardly fired.
When asked post acceptance how she felt about the designer, Portman was rushed off stage by her PR team. Given time to think, she has since decided to speak out. "I am deeply shocked and disgusted by the video of John Galliano's comments that surfaced today," she said in a statement issued last night. "In light of this video, and as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way. I hope at the very least, these terrible comments remind us to reflect and act upon combating these still-existing prejudices that are the opposite of all that is beautiful."
I think what's most jarring is that in a world where progress seems to be everywhere, stem cell research, human right and advocacy campaigns, bringing running water to 3rd world civilizations, the one line that still seems to divide is religion. As Portman states, the world is full of beauty but what's so sad is that for every moment of beauty there's seemingly an excess in moments of hate.
I still remember in the 7th grade when a classmate point blank stated to me on the bus that, "if Hitler had done his job I wouldn't be so lucky to miss a day of school" for a Jewish holiday. I remember being slightly stunned and alarmingly confused. Didn't he know, my day off consisted of putting on an itchy suit and sitting in temple for hours reading from a book in a language I couldn't read ... and fasting? 10am music class.. umm, yes please!
My sophomore year of high school I went to the National Young Leaders Conference in Washington DC where I roomed with 3 people, 2 of whom had never met a Jewish person. The third told me his dad's boss was a Jew, so he understood. I was asked if I'd hidden my horns or removed them for the debates we'd had over the rationale for the separation between Church and State. My horns? Was he kidding? When I got back, I read an article in the paper about another local girl who shared the same story. Washington, DC... seems like a pretty progressive town. Where were these people coming from? And that horns rumor, for real?
I grew up in a world where Jews were all around. In high school my class was full of Jewish friends who also were dismissed from class during the holiest days of the year and in college it seemed as though you couldn't throw a pair of black stretchy pants without hitting a girl with a sideways ponytail. The differences between Jews and those who were not never seemed to factor in to the equation. Some of my friends were, some were not. Some designers are, many are not. As Adam Sandler lists off the Jews in Hollywood its easy to assume the town, and many more across the United States, overflow with individuals who pronounce cream cheese as shmear and consider brunch to be the primary meal of a day.
What I've learned throughout my life is that this just isn't true.
I was lucky to grow up in a world where religion didn't matter, where you were given the same liberties, regardless of religion to openly be who you were without fear of harassment or aggression. I spent my adolescence at Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and since, much of my early adulthood watching friends break the glass under the chuppuh. It's stories like Mel Gibson's narration to an LA policemen or Mr. Galliano's tirade on some unsuspecting dining companions, which seem to be sparked by alcohol and pent up ignorance that take me back to that place of a confused pre-teen who for the first time saw that people could be evil simply because they wanted to be, simply because they didn't understand.
I've often considered fashion designers to be free spirits; individuals who see beauty in the smallest spark of inspiration. It's amazing to me that those who can create something from nothing, who see potential and possibility from a single piece of fabric can be so close minded and so closed off to those around them. Natalie Portman is one voice; she's a Jew. I am one voice; I'm a Jew. You are one voice; you may or may not be a Jew. The point is that it doesn't matter. Use your voice and share in the hope. That religion, which is intended to give peace and comfort can be a personal choice that doesn't effect or persecute anyone else.
Who knows, the Oscar red carpet was ruled by shades of red and purple, maybe in the coming time shades of progress and peace will be the new black.
Such a good article by such a good writer!! Very inspiring Mr. Haas. xoxo
ReplyDeleteI love you Hunt.
ReplyDelete