Slave Earrings Anyone...

[Rare_Commodity]

Advertising at its worst!

www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/22/vogue-italia-slave-earrings_n_932834.html

'Slave Earrings' On Vogue Italia: Offensive Or Innocent?
Reading international fashion magazines can be tough because of the language barrier. Words appear out of place, phrases get lost in translation, meaning gets misconstrued.

But Jezebel has confirmed that Vogue Italia's "slave earrings" is not, as we had hoped, a mistranslation.

The Italian magazine currently features "Slave Earrings," by which they seem to mean hoop earrings, in its "Shop The Trend" section, instructing readers that hoop earrings are an updated classic... from the era of US slavery:

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 (sic) States during the slave trade, the latest interpretation is pure freedom. Colored stones, symbolic pendants and multiple spheres. And the evolution goes on.


On the one hand, should the enslavement of Africans in the United States be mined for style inspiration? That just feels wrong.

But on the other hand, it is true that there are several cultural references that originated in that era, from music styles to folk art traditions. So is it completely wrong to cite a jewelry trend from the historical moment as well?

The point, it seems, is that Vogue Italia flippantly references the slave trade as an inspiring moment for "decorative traditions," glamorizing slavery with an ignorant touch it seems only Italians can effect so well.

Head to Vogue.it to see the feature... and, if you like, browse some nice pairs of "slave earrings."

UPDATE: In light of all the poor press, it looks like Vogue Italia has changed the name of the feature from "Slave Earrings" to "Ethnic Earrings" (see the new headline here). Strange, however, that the magazine chose the bland, imprecise descriptor "ethnic." If they meant African American, couldn't they have just said that?

[LejaOMG]

"slave" jewelry is very popular in the South Caribbean. I have a slave band (bracelet) and a pair of slave earrings. I'm proud to wear them because for me, they symbolize beauty amid struggle and perseverance of African culture in the presence of whitewash. Also, this is not exclusively a product of African slave trade. The bible record shows that slaves in Egypt and in Greece also wore distinctive jewelry.

[Rare_Commodity]

Interesting. Why give them a name that has such a negative cononation...Why not call them African, Egypt, or Greece earrings or maybe just call them hoops? Maybe as an American I am not cultured or privied to the way, terms, or lingo in Italy or overseas fashion but I found it disrespectful.

[LejaOMG]

I think that's a good question. I am not aware of common hoop earrings having any particular slave connotation as respects the American slave trade. Indeed, I would be surprised if U.S. slaves even wore jewelry. If they are referring to the earrings that Europeans observed West Africans wearing prior to their capture/enslavement, then the nomenclature is incorrect. They would not be slave earrings at all, but African earrings (as you stated).

[LejaOMG]

I appreciated this comment from the article:

"should the enslavement of Africans in the United States be mined for style inspiration? That just feels wrong... Vogue Italia flippantly references the slave trade as an inspiring moment for "decorative traditions," glamorizing slavery."

It feels "wrong" because in America, we are unable to divorce the term slavery from the shame that we (all) feel about the subject. In some parts of the world (and I'm not commenting on whether Italy is one of them) slavery is acknowledged as a legitimate (if unsavory) part of the historical record and all aspects of culture deriving from that time including music, clothing, festivals, language and other traditions are properly attributed to the slaves that created and perpetuated them. I think it's a more historically honest approach and it doesn't necessarily amount to being flippant about our ancestors' struggle.

[Oldskool]

Aug 23, 2011 11:02:42 GMT -5 LejaOMG said:

I appreciated this comment from the article:

"should the enslavement of Africans in the United States be mined for style inspiration? That just feels wrong... Vogue Italia flippantly references the slave trade as an inspiring moment for "decorative traditions," glamorizing slavery."

It feels "wrong" because in America, we are unable to divorce the term slavery from the shame that we (all) feel about the subject. In some parts of the world (and I'm not commenting on whether Italy is one of them) slavery is acknowledged as a legitimate (if unsavory) part of the historical record and all aspects of culture deriving from that time including music, clothing, festivals, language and other traditions are properly attributed to the slaves that created and perpetuated them. I think it's a more historically honest approach and it doesn't necessarily amount to being flippant about our ancestors' struggle.

It feels wrong to me not because of us feeling ashamed, but because they don't.

[123Diva]

Aug 24, 2011 14:08:24 GMT -5 Oldskool said:

Aug 23, 2011 11:02:42 GMT -5 LejaOMG said:

I appreciated this comment from the article:

"should the enslavement of Africans in the United States be mined for style inspiration? That just feels wrong... Vogue Italia flippantly references the slave trade as an inspiring moment for "decorative traditions," glamorizing slavery."

It feels "wrong" because in America, we are unable to divorce the term slavery from the shame that we (all) feel about the subject. In some parts of the world (and I'm not commenting on whether Italy is one of them) slavery is acknowledged as a legitimate (if unsavory) part of the historical record and all aspects of culture deriving from that time including music, clothing, festivals, language and other traditions are properly attributed to the slaves that created and perpetuated them. I think it's a more historically honest approach and it doesn't necessarily amount to being flippant about our ancestors' struggle.

It feels wrong to me not because of us feeling ashamed, but because they don't.

^^^POW

[LejaOMG]

Not for nothing, I think American whites DO feel shame about slavery and that it manifests as flippancy, or an inordinate effort to show that the race situation has improved more than it has. I believe that white guilt is as real as white privilege.

[Bunny Hop]

I read about this and just thought "really vogue?" LOL Slave earrings? I didn't remember slaves wearing earrings in any pictures. I figure jewelry was just one of the many things that was taken away in an effort to strip them of everything from their homeland. If they were talking about what the Africans wore before they were snatched up then they should have just said that. But I always forget that our history usually begins with slavery. What the slaves were BEFORE they got here isn't a factor.

And then they tried to blame the translation. How does a word for "ethnic style" get mistranslated to "slave?" Shullbit! LOL