Monday, August 9, 2010

Guest Writer: Fashion's Take on the Oil Spill

I'd like to share my cousin Brianna's article written for The Examiner. She is a Tempe Fashion Examiner and covers topics from brands, trends, and upcoming lines. She recently wrote about Vogue Italia's photo shoot inspired by the recent oil spill. Steven Meisel did an amazing job capturing the real devastation and really promotes awareness on this issue. Enjoy Brianna's article, please link to her page to see more photos.


Vogue Italia's latest issue is mixing fashion with awareness in their photo spread shot by Steven Meisel. Opening a different set of eyes to the ongoing ecological disaster caused by the Deepwater Horizon explosion back in April.

Some see this as off-putting or tasteless to glamorize the biggest environmental disasters to hit us. Refinery 29, a fashion website, states,

"Glamorizing this recent ecological and social disaster for the sake of "fashion" reduces the tragic event to nothing more than attention-grabbing newsstand fodder."

Eco-designer Kathleen Nowak Tucci, who designed some of the eclectic, marine inspired accessories, disagrees by stating, 

"I thought it was disturbing and thought-provoking and utterly fascinating in its interpretation of the struggle for survival. It is controversial and interpretative, which is indicative of great artistic expression."

Agreeing with the latter, it's important to incorporate news into different media, like fashion. It sends a reminder of the severity of the harmful spill. Using several forms of media, whether it be fashion or another outlet, it gets the ball rolling in many different courts. This could lead to even more individuals pressing the problem to be fixed now, or possible clean-up and relief volunteers. Small things can add up to producing change. While we know there are plenty of efforts being made to cap the leak, this should have been done months ago.

Kristen McMenamy, 45-year-old American model, attempts the darker subject matter of modeling. The pictures are incredibly beautiful, yet devastating in their theme of death. Many show the model adorned with feathers drenched in oil, laying limp on the rocks of tainted beaches, while one shows her choking and grasping her throat. Saddening representations of the injured, unhealthy, and dying animals that have been affected by the oil spill.

While it is a very controversial piece, it is very much needed in the severity of such disaster. If only our own Vogue would shed such light.

-Written by Brianna Stevens
 Tempe Fashion Examiner- Fashion's take on the oil spill

External Links:
http://image3.examiner.com/images/blog/replicate/EXID27291/images/WaterOil_02.jpg

1 comment:

  1. It would have been a great piece if they incorporated "fashionable" facts regarding the oil spill. It seems that they just exploited the disaster rather than opening the eyes of its readers.

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