Lovelyish

I’m really more concerned about the fur they were using. Disgusting.

Oh who cares. Would there be questions over this had their faces been painted yellow (i.e. Asian) or a reddish brown (i.e. Aboriginal/Native American)?

I really have to wonder why everyone is so ready to jump on the racism bandwagon. Racism entails some type of attitude or emotion of ethnic superiority/inferiority while being racist entails some type of behavioural action taken against individuals of different ethnicities. And I don’t see either behavioural or affectual things occurring here. It’s just a brown circle on their faces. I find it more upsetting that people in this age are so insanely over-sensitive to just about everything. It’s like the more freedom and equality we try to bring to our societies the more eager we are to point out anyone potentially (or obviously) opposing such ideals without actually putting real thought behind the other person’s motives. Almost like in an effort to be more open and free we wind up paradoxically being more closed off to things such as artistic expression. 

I don’t take it as racist. I kinda like it actually. The different shapes of brown does something for each face…

actually i love the highlight’s on the first face created by the browns..

I see “a moody kind of darkness” here, not racism.

models often have a bad mood face, so this literally shows that they are in a very bad mood

I don’t think it is racist.  It’s actually interesting.  This makes me think of alternate personalities or the darkness within.  Perhaps they could call it racist if the models were wearing African Tribal prints and carrying spears. 

the fuck..?

Everyone is ridiculously sensitive these days. Get a grip, people.

If people think this is racist, stop being so fucking sensitive.

i don’t think this was any kind of racial statement because it didn’t seem like Lie Sang Bong wanted to “transform” the models’ skin colors, which would’ve implied something more racial… the designer probably wanted people to infer more from the misshapenness of the blotches and the mood that the color portrays…

  I’m not sure. . . I don’t know a lot about him or his fashion style. It may just be a ploy to get people’s attention and have more focus on him so he can become more well-known. It’s all about how much you sell these days, not the actual fashion.

♥L
-SM

What about the animals that were skinned alive for their show? 

It’s interesting, not my cup of tea but interesting. It looks good with the fur (I keep saying, fur is the best thing for -30C weather, I’d be an animal rights activist too if I lived in a warmer place!), and I love it especially with the polka dots.

oh please it looks like face paint that an not so creative clown drew on a bunch of kids’ faces at a party.

STFU ABOUT EVEREY GOD DAMN THING BEING RACIST! NOT EVERYTHING IS RACIST!

Looks like they’ve been eating doo doo.

I equate this to the use of the word “nigga” by others of non African-American descent. While some people think the word “nigga” has been stripped of its original meaning, it in fact, has been not. It is merely the accent of colored folks that turned the n word into “nigga”. So no, you are not okay to say it to a black person (or anyone else) unless you are of black descent. After reading the designer’s description, I don’t think it racist, as he did it in good faith. But he could have gone about it some other way, be it just painting a line across the model’s eyes (like a censored bar) or diagonal lines across the whole face. Hell, the show could have been done with African models if the designer wanted black faces. 

To those who say “it’s not about racism” and that “people are being too sensitive”…you forget that the Civil Rights movement was only about 50 years ago.  

@raised_bywolves@xanga - they are being too sensitive. If this was ANY other colour, nobody would say anything about it.

It is a bit strange. When trying to relate to her “african roots” why didn’t they use african models? That way it makes black people look like an exotic attraction, that gets imitated for fun and to dispay fake tolerance.

I don’t know if he did this. You have to do SOMETHING to get attaention.

It would be funny if they had used black models too and painted them white/ pink in the face . 

@daydreams_nightmares@xanga - Darned if you do, darned if you don’t. It’s one you can’t win.

This is insane. What kind of a retard would do this? Seriously. Asians have to stop imitating the West. Asians already have a great culture. Promote that.

@daydreams_nightmares@xanga - Exactly – like when I mentioned if they’d been painted a reddish brown or yellow. No one would call racism on that. I don’t see how painting a circle on someone’s face is somehow more covertly racist than a line or any other shape. Is it because it echoes the shape of a face? Kind of BS imo. But whatever. 

@under_the_carpet@xanga - Could be there weren’t enough models with dark skin. I mean most models we see tend to be lighter skinned, so maybe it just made more sense to hire models that all looked pretty much identical so as to have more consistency. 

Politics rears it’s ugly head in everything. It’s art. I find it beautiful.

@KyrieElise@xanga - So on the flip side should ‘Westerners’ just stick to ‘their own culture’ and stop trying to borrow elements from Asia?

@tokyoexpressman@xanga - From an unbiased point of view, yes. From a realistic point of view, no. What the West copies from the East is sushi and herbal medicine for the most part. The West can use this. What the East copies from the West is the culture itself. This is ridiculous. Asians are starting to lose their own identities and becoming more AMERICANIZED. Thank you for your inquiry.

It’s called black face. It’s a racist act despite the artist not trying to be racist. You guys are deluding yourselves. I don’t care what race you are. Stop being blind.

@KyrieElise@xanga - It’s called globalization. If you dislike it then simply make sure to keep your own cultural heritage alive in your own way. North Americans draw inspiration from other cultures in numerous ways: art, film, clothing, music, health, architecture, etc. I see no reason why we should  not draw inspiration from these different places. Perhaps Canada is different due to the more genuine multicultural element compared to the “melting pot” of the states, but either way it’s still about developing a culture through the existence of other cultures. Which is done over here as well.

@imperfect_smash@xanga - So does that mean that if someone of non-Caucasian descent painted his/her face white then that person would be acting as a racist towards Caucasians? Or if a black woman has a yellow circle on her face, would that mean she is being racist towards Asians? It really does seem like whenever a racist card is called nine out of ten times it’s about people being racist towards black people. And yet what about other ethnic groups that have also suffered a lot of hardships throughout history, like Aboriginals/Native Americans (residential schools, being brought death and sickness, having their land taken away) or Asians (internment camps)? A racist comment or gesture indicates some type of action/behaviour taken against people of different ethnic backgrounds in a way that is clearly meant to belittle or even just stereotype that group. How does a brown circle on one’s face indicate that the wearer or painter is saying something about that ethnic group or about a stereotype related to that group?

@ShimmerBodyCream@xanga - Agreed.

@ashleynicole - Asians haven’t just been put in internment camps. We’re also the only race allowed to be judged -against- in the education system and a bunch of other dumb shit. Just sayin’. Otherwise, I agree XD

@imperfect_smash@xanga - You know, I legit only hear black folk talk about racism. I work in retail in a primarily black community and at a small-business store I used to work at, we had to order new mannequins because the black mannequins offended people. These days there are constantly people coming in accusing me of racism when they can’t return shit they don’t have receipts for.

I also used to work in a Chinese take-out place. Trouble with calls from white people: maybe like 8 throughout the two years I worked. Trouble with calls from black people: like 50+. I speak perfect and unaccented English. Not all slang makes sense to me, however. And responding with “nigga please” when I ask you to repeat it is not helpful. Also, hitting on the delivery girl will get cops at your door.

Ya know, I used to be a lot less racist and more compassionate and maybe when I was younger, I would have been able to see where this would be offensive. Now I’m simply annoyed people pretend it matters so fucking much.

Edit: I’m not bashing all black people. I just think that this “issue” is something really dumb to be riled about and I kind of hate my job sometimes XD I have black coworkers too. Some of them are cool. I take an aerobic dance class where I have black friends. They agree with me on the above though, but we’ve kind of come to the consensus that there the more a culture emphasizes loudness, the ruder their people come across. Fair enough. Y’all need to shut up though.

@xsPoNgEs_go_SQUISHx13@xanga - I don’t know why you replied to me. Your “edit” to prove you aren’t “racist” is offensive and I’m not even fully black. People forget that too, racism isn’t only dealing with black people. I’ve met so many racist white, asian, and blacks against everyone it’s saddening.

@ashleynicole - ”in a way that is clearly meant to belittle”

Not all racism, stereotypes, sexism, etc is blunt. I don’t know what this person’s intent was, but that quote is definitely incorrect. Racism isn’t only the rest of the world against blacks. I’m sure a lot of people assume others think that way, but that is obviously not the case. I don’t know if it’s what others have experienced in their lives but there’s a lot of generalizations in this thread on that too.

I don’t know or care if the person is trying to be racist. All I know is black face is used in history as a means to be racist, so anyone doing it in the modern day will be side-eyed. Just because some fashion person is using it doesn’t mean it’s all of a sudden “not racist”.

I don’t know if other color faces were used. If it was it’s just as bad. I don’t know how white face would turn out. White Europeans weren’t taught all through history that the color of their skin makes them non human beings. They spent a lot of history trying to prove to be the elite race. Let’s be real. I hate seeing ignorance spread around. We should revisit the American imperialism era. That movement was about and helped inspire the poem “The White Man’s Burden”, pretty much depicting why white Europeans are elite against ALL other races and why they need to be Christianized and “properly cultured”.

So, yes a white face or other color face is just as racist, but is the impact the same. I have no idea. Asking if it is or isn’t is ridiculous and sounds like you are trying to justify racism against blacks. Not sayign you are, but jeez. I get your point, I read your other posts. I only bothered to reply in this topic in general because the responses were so blinded and ridiculous. I wasn’t even offended by the models, I was more appalled by the comments.

@imperfect_smash@xanga - Haha, yeah. I guess I am pretty racist.

@xsPoNgEs_go_SQUISHx13@xanga - Er, the Japanese were kept in internment camps during WWII.

@Digital_Angel21@xanga - I didn’t deny that?

considering blackface is american history and this was done by someone from korea… i’m inclined to go with the moodiness argument. it would be in incredibly poor taste for any american to do this but how can you be offended if someone from another country isn’t aware of it? i doubt any of us can recite much regarding the struggles of the korean people.

@ashleynicole - So does that mean that if someone of
non-Caucasian descent painted his/her face white then that person would
be acting as a racist towards Caucasians? Or if a black woman has a
yellow circle on her face, would that mean she is being racist towards
Asians?

If historically yellow-face was something performed in Vaudeville to belittle and mock Caucasians or Asians, yes – it certainly would. It’s about context and history. Now, I don’t know if it’s fair to hold a Korean designer responsible for knowing this facet of American history and I’m willing to buy the ignorance argument from the designer… but your argument in their defense is an awful one.

For example: If today I were to make a necklace which says “work makes you free” because I have been taught to value hard work through my education – it would still be a disgusting and cruel gesture on my part. It would remind any Jewish people who saw it of the terrible things their people faced under the gates which read “arbeit macht frei”.

It really does seem like whenever a racist card is called nine
out of ten times it’s about people being racist towards black people.
And yet what about other ethnic groups that have also suffered a lot of
hardships throughout history, like Aboriginals/Native Americans
(residential schools, being brought death and sickness, having their
land taken away) or Asians (internment camps)?

So are you telling black people to shut up… or yellow and red people to step up?

Indigenous people have had heinous crimes committed against them and they DO speak out frequently. The problem is, people don’t often bring up the “racism” card when discussing things like broken treaties and genocide because it’s a moot point. A Jew doesn’t have to imply the holocaust was racist.
A great deal of Native Americans also continue to live on reservations, where conditions are bleak – so they encounter institutional racism but not, say, “xyz called me abc” racism because they’re mostly the only race on the res. Larger scale injustices are typically called out in courts, not at your local mall or on your xanga. So it’s easy to assume that only people who are already integrated into your society call racist b.s. when they see it, but it’s simply not true – it’s just happening where you may not necessarily see it.

On a side note, though – indigenous people and fashion shows have had their fair share of clashes over cultural (mis)appropriation. They have also spoken out.

Look up the involvement of the Japanese folks in the Civil Rights movement, they fought hard, too. Nowadays they tend to represent middle to upper class folk, groups which face less discrimination in general; however, Asian Americans in the military still face discrimination and they, too, speak up against it. They call the “race card”- for example, there was a very recent article about a Chinese-American boy who killed himself while serving abroad because of the torment his fellow (white) soldiers put him through. Maybe if someone had been able to call the racism sooner, that soldier would still be with us.

The “race card” is NOT a bad thing.

A racist comment or
gesture indicates some type of action/behaviour taken against people of
different ethnic backgrounds in a way that is clearly meant to belittle
or even just stereotype that group. How does a brown circle on one’s
face indicate that the wearer or painter is saying something about that
ethnic group or about a stereotype related to that group?

It reminds people strongly – and not without aesthetic reason- of “blackface”, where actors would paint their faces dark colors and then act like buffoons. It was a comedy act common back in the day which got it’s “funny” from belittling African Americans. So, simply put: that’s how.

@xsPoNgEs_go_SQUISHx13@xanga - Internment camps was the only thing I could think of at the top of my head haha! I also want to say that about your other reply, I do agree that it seems like the majority of people pulling the racism card are black (when being serious – of course sometimes people will jokingly say “omg you’re being so racist!” with people they know without actually meaning it in that context). It just seems like they are definitely quicker to jump to such conclusions. I mean yes, there are general negative stereotypes that are a bit more prominent in our cultures towards black people, but honestly I’d say that there’s just as much, if not more, for Native Americans/Aboriginals. And yet there rarely seems to be any actions taken as being racist unless it’s something like super obvious to the point of it clearly coming off as insensitive. 

@imperfect_smash@xanga - I see no intentions behind the paint other than artistic, so to me I do not see anything racist about it. Just because it has at one point been associated with racism does not automatically mean that in the present every single person who happens to emulate this knows of its origins, or that it even still holds such a meaning. I mean, the swastika for instance had a significant amount of past meaning behind it before it became associated with Nazi Germany. So clearly meaning behind things don’t always remain, they change, and you have to look at context in some circumstances. And in this one the context does not (to me) fit in with anything racist in any way. It feels more like “racist if you are trying to find a reason for it being racist” as opposed to something that you can see is obviously making some kind of statement about a culture/ethnic group. Even the subtle ones are generally very obvious, like alcohol and Aboriginals/Native Americans or cheapness and Jews. It could be a side comment or just something that someone says in a conversation without really even thinking about it, and assuming they don’t say “hey wait a minute, what I just said is totally a stereotype and I do not actually believe that” (since stereotypes can be very difficult to avoid thinking about but very easy to decide what your opinion is of them), then it’s very likely that others would pick up on its racist content. Something like this face-painting business, I just do not at all associate it with racism in our current age. 

It doesn’t look like blackface, it looks like a series of faces heavily shrouded in shadow which, considering the designer’s statement, is what he was trying to convey.