Fashion causes another controversy!
Maybe people need to stop writing things on articles of clothing — the misinterpretation factor is very high!
Priyanka Chopra experienced this firsthand when she modeled a white tank with the word refugee crossed out in red on the cover of Condé Nast Traveller recently.
Related: Priyanka Gets Flirty With Tom Hiddleston
The shirt (shown above) was interpreted by many users on social media as being “anti-refugee.” Many took to Twitter to express their disgust:
However, others came to her and the magazine’s defense, noting that the tank top is supposed to be read as removing the label of refugee and outsider from the conversation and instead calling them travelers, in the hopes of decreasing xenophobia.
The magazine itself explained this prior to releasing the cover, saying:
“At Cond├â┬⌐ Nast Traveller, we believe that the opening up of borders and the breaking down of walls can help us discover the world, and open up our minds and hearts. So, when we had actor Priyanka Chopra wear a T-shirt we created on the cover of the sixth anniversary issue, we had a point to make. It’s about how our labeling of people as immigrants, refugees and outsiders is creating a culture of xenophobia.”
Looks like people didn’t get it!
And now Priyanka herself has apologized for wearing the “insensitive” top:
“The magazine had a point of view. They were very clear what they were addressing, and they specifically got this made and implored me to wear it. They’re addressing xenophobia, which is a big issue that is happening with labels. [They wanted to] be ambiguous about people moving in and out, whether it’s by choice or not by choice├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥so, traveling. Their idea was that, and I bought into it, I guess. I’m really, really apologetic about the fact that so many sentiments were hurt. I mean, that was definitely not the reason. And me, of all people. I’m someone who always stands for no labels. I’m someone who always stands for people being able to do what they have to do when they have to do it without being put in a box. So, I was very affected. I felt really, really horrible. I think…that was never the intention.”
She added:
“It was misconstrued. The point that the magazine wanted to make was actually something good, saying that people are moved out of their countries because they’re thrown out of their homes, literally, and they’re looked at├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥whether it’s Europe, whether it is America, anywhere in the world├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥they’re looked at very differently. It was not their choice to have moved out. Whether I come from another country and I’m in America, I’m an outsider, or an immigrant. But the boxes├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥politically, these words have been used so much to berate people, to put them in a box, to profile them. And the magazine’s idea was to break that, basically. That’s what I went with. This was the magazine’s idea.”
Do YOU think this shirt was insensitive or did it merely get misinterpreted???
[Image via Conde Nast Traveller]