All the Rage: Black Anger Becomes the New Publicity
Brands like Burberry, Adidas, Gucci, Prada, and Moncler have massive businesses that no doubt include staff whose sole job is to research, study, and learn purchasing behaviors of people which includes what they like (patterns, colors, and cool designs) and what they do not like (bigotry, misogyny, homophobia, and racism). They spend handsome portions of their annual budgets on this research. Their research should have led those brands to the conclusion that a blackface sweater, noose hoodie, or white cotton sneaker dubbed as a Black History Month tribute was unacceptable. Not to mention the intense production edits, rigorous standards, and approval chains these items had to pass through following the research stage. Not one of these items should have ever made it through.
Yet here we are, in Carter G. Woodson's Negro History Month in 2019, and these items still passed through.
What is forgivable is a mistake. What is probable, is a very cunning marketing scheme. Think about it: what is the quickest way to get your brand in the mouth of people than to offend them? And where do we, as people of the 21st century, turn when we are outraged? Social media. We flood the comments, walls, and tweets of these brands and labels, expressing our disgust, throwing shade. We share articles expressing how we feel in our own feeds. We keep the names of these brands in the faces of our own followers and friends. Algorithms react and suddenly we start to see these brands and labels everywhere. And the brand not only ends up in your feed but in the feeds of those who don't give a damn about bigotry but definitely want to wear what their favorite rapper is wearing this week.
Instant publicity.
These labels, should they be actually using these accidents and faux pas as publicity, are counting on the adage "no press is bad press." Sure, they offer an iOS press release, they apologize, insisting it was "never their intent", create programs, training, and opportunities to support diversity (Note, I said diversity, not inclusion. The two are very different and one is better than the other.) that they should have had in place decades before if they were really bout it, bout it. We usually end up either forgiving them or moving on to the next object of our ire. The cycle continues.
Me personally, I am ready to hop off and do something better.
So how do we fight back when we are offended without giving free publicity to labels who deliberately disrespect us?
1) The almighty dollar: We stop spending our cash with these labels. Whether it is a Burberry, an H&M, or anyone else. To disrespect our culture is to disrespect our humanity. And if you don't see me as human, you don't deserve to receive contributions from me. It's that simple.
2) Silence: Don't give these labels anymore press than they deserve. Keep your feeds, walls, and tweets free of them. A boycott means that they don't receive any of your endorsements.
3) Change the narrative: Instead of talking about what European brands are doing wrong, let's focus on what designers and brands within our own community are doing right. Black designers are aplenty, and I will be highlighting my personal favorites here. But you too should find those you love and talk about them. Share their pieces on social, talk to your friends and family about them, but most importantly, buy from them. Shop their stores, purchase from their websites, and wear proudly what they created.
What is forgivable is a mistake. What is probable, is a very cunning marketing scheme. Think about it: what is the quickest way to get your brand in the mouth of people than to offend them? And where do we, as people of the 21st century, turn when we are outraged? Social media. We flood the comments, walls, and tweets of these brands and labels, expressing our disgust, throwing shade. We share articles expressing how we feel in our own feeds. We keep the names of these brands in the faces of our own followers and friends. Algorithms react and suddenly we start to see these brands and labels everywhere. And the brand not only ends up in your feed but in the feeds of those who don't give a damn about bigotry but definitely want to wear what their favorite rapper is wearing this week.
Instant publicity.These labels, should they be actually using these accidents and faux pas as publicity, are counting on the adage "no press is bad press." Sure, they offer an iOS press release, they apologize, insisting it was "never their intent", create programs, training, and opportunities to support diversity (Note, I said diversity, not inclusion. The two are very different and one is better than the other.) that they should have had in place decades before if they were really bout it, bout it. We usually end up either forgiving them or moving on to the next object of our ire. The cycle continues.
Me personally, I am ready to hop off and do something better.
So how do we fight back when we are offended without giving free publicity to labels who deliberately disrespect us?
1) The almighty dollar: We stop spending our cash with these labels. Whether it is a Burberry, an H&M, or anyone else. To disrespect our culture is to disrespect our humanity. And if you don't see me as human, you don't deserve to receive contributions from me. It's that simple.
2) Silence: Don't give these labels anymore press than they deserve. Keep your feeds, walls, and tweets free of them. A boycott means that they don't receive any of your endorsements.
3) Change the narrative: Instead of talking about what European brands are doing wrong, let's focus on what designers and brands within our own community are doing right. Black designers are aplenty, and I will be highlighting my personal favorites here. But you too should find those you love and talk about them. Share their pieces on social, talk to your friends and family about them, but most importantly, buy from them. Shop their stores, purchase from their websites, and wear proudly what they created.
Black rage, just like any other elements of Black Culture is not publicity. Black Culture is not for White consumption and using elements of our shared, painful pasts as a way to market tawdry and, if we are honest, downright ugly and lazy designs is more than insulting, it is a way of further diminishing our humanity.
Truth is, the best way we can prove that Black Culture, especially Black pain and rage, is not for consumption or PR is by speaking, not with only our platforms, but with our dollars, and supporting our own.
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