Juarez

JAX

I am generally a fan of just about everything Rodarte does (aside from consistently pricing their pieces at four-digit numbers).  There is no doubt in my mind that the Mulleavy sisters will be ones to watch in fashion for years to come.  However, they have recently come under fire for one little aspect of their collaborative collection with MAC cosmetics.  The theme of the line is factory towns along the border of Texas and Mexico, and most of the products looks and names call to mind this imagery quite nicely, such as "Sleepless," a light gray taupe lipstick, and "Bordertown," a frosted black eyeshadow with multi-colored veining.  However, the name of a certain light pink nail polish has brought quite a bit of attention to the brand.  They have given it the name "Juarez," which is actually a city in Mexico that has had its fair share of controversy.  It is known as a crime-ridden place where young women often disappear when going to or from their factory jobs, and are raped and murdered with seldom a police response.  The town has even been called "a serial killers' playground" by TruTV, and Jennifer Lopez starred in a movie addressing the very issue.

All images via HintMag

It is my opinion that whether the naming of this polish was purposeful or not, it was done in poor taste.  Laura and Kate Mulleavy themselves stated that their actual inspiration for their makeup came about from a roadtrip through Texas, so they obviously never have encountered the city of Juarez and did not ever obtain actual visual ideas from it.  The case must be that they either named the nail pigment by carelessly choosing a random Mexican border town, or that they knew of the area's problems and meant to invoke some sort of feelings and get some press off of the fact that they chose such a place.  I think that associating something of beauty and glamour with a city laden with such terror is not the most politically correct choice.  Let's just say that I'm not naming my new line of bejeweled platform stiletto shoes "Baghdad."

However, upon discussing this subject with Katie yesterday, my mind was opened to an entirely different insight to the situation.  I was surprised when she took the exact opposite viewpoint than me (usually we have kind of similar tastes and ideas; great minds...).  Her thoughts were that it's really a matter of artistic integrity.  When it comes to art, the artist is supposed to create whatever he or she feels. It doesn't matter if the Mulleavy sisters have been to the town of Juarez or know its political history or not, if that shade of light pink is the nail color they imagine the women of that town to have, it is just that they name the polish accordingly.  You can't call art right or wrong, politically correct or incorrect, in poor taste or not.  You simply have to accept it as it is, and it doesn't mean that you have to buy it, or even like it.

So there are our two opposing views.  I was just reflecting on how it's nice to have an intelligent conversation every once and a while and gain new insight on matters, so I thought I'd share.  To quote Aristotle, "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."