Vogue Italia Uses Racist Term To Sell Hoop Earrings

13 years ago view-show 753,291

Well there’s no doubt that prejudice is alive and well, especially overseas where ignorance can dangerously run rampant. And it’s interesting when it rolls into things like fashion. Recently I found out you could buy yourself a “N*gger Brown” bag on Ebay and news came in this week that Vogue is definitely joining in on the racist f*ckery but then again Vogue is a repeat offender of politically incorrect marketing.

In a lame attempt to push forward diversity, Vogue Italia came out with an All Black Issue, which featured an interestingly named item called “Slave Earrings.” They were these big hoop earrings, which could be considered a stereotypical staple in African-American style. As of Monday, the name has been amended t0 “Ethnic earrings.”

Here’s the description on the website:

“Jewellery has always flirted with circular shapes, especially for use in making earrings. The most classic models are the slave and creole styles in gold hoops. If the name brings to the mind the decorative traditions of the women of colour who were brought to the southern Unites States during the slave trade, the latest interpretation is pure freedom. Colored stones, symbolic pendants and multiple spheres. And the evolution goes on.”

It didn’t take long before the angry and the offended took to Twitter. Celebrity model Iman joined the raucous: “I didn’t like it. Slave does not make it ethnic. Mind you, it’s not lost in translation — the word slave, we know what it is. They might as well have called them ‘n***** earrings.

In an immediate attempt to “save face” the editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani changed the name and issued an apology.

We apologize for the inconvenience. It is a matter of really bad translation from Italian into English. The Italian word, which defines those kind of earrings, should instead be translated into ‘ethnical style earrings.’ Again, we are sorry about this mistake.

The description has yet to be changed, however there has been some B.S. verbage that does state that “the latest interpretation is pure freedom.” Freedom? Really? Wow… this sad attempt was soon deleted completely in order to avoid further disappointment.

Thanks, Jezebel.

slaveearings