Monday, December 19, 2011

"Fighting Words!": Dragon Tattoo Fashion

(note: interview excerpts from Eva Gabrielsson are taken from Associated Press Stockholm, Germany)

Now you too can dress like a woman that has spent her life being raped, beaten, and even locked in a mental institution! I started seeing these billboards a few weeks ago with Cam and we were at a loss for words. H&M in their infinite wisdom has put out a line of clothing to coincide with the release of the American version of The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo. If you have not read it I will give you The Dante Version of the first book.

A guy is being sent to prison for not verifying information he printed in his paper. Before he goes he is asked to investigate an old disappearance. He gets the help of a peculiar woman who happens to be scary smart. You discover that she has had problems with the law that stem from her early to present life. She has been raped (even by her guardian presently). She is very violent but not unprovoked.

Noomi Rapace GWTDT 2009

This is not about me thinking that the new film should or should not be made. I already discussed my views on this and why I have a problem with it. Which happen to be a lot. This is about the fact that a company saw a look and decided to capitalize on it. That’s not new.

The partner of the author of the series of books (there have been three printed and more partially written but Stieg Larsson died of a heart attack before finishing) feels that H&M is missing an opportunity to call attention to violence against women.

"We would never have sold any rights for merchandising" Eva Gabrielsson, his partner said. "It has nothing to do with books." She continued, “The oppression of women exists everywhere, this incomprehensible discrimination" she said.

In a recent interview Rooney Mara who plays Lisbeth Salander in the remake stated that the character is not a feminist and does not see herself as part of any group or culture.

Rooney Mara GWTDT 2011
"Does she know what film she has been in?" Gabrielsson asked. "Has she read the books? Has she not had any coaching?" She continued stating that while Salander doesn't fit neatly into any category "but she is still part of a movement. Her entire being represents a resistance, an active resistance to the mechanisms that mean women don't advance in this world and in worst case scenarios are abused like she was."

Making a line of clothing based off a series of books with such graphic violence (this is me saying that!) and brutality seems so damned…wrong. I know that some chicks, and dudes, might think that the style looks cool. Hell, many people are walking around dressed like this anyway. H&M is based out of Sweden (clothes are made worldwide) so they really should know better.

3 comments:

Hazel said...

The other side of that is -the US marketing bullshit about the character represents aside- is that she's a survivor of rape. I think one of the reasons she's a ...and I hate to use the phrase... role model is that she doesn't allow the violence inflicted on her to ruin her life. I totally get that the clothing line is kind of exploitative but there are worse things than wanting to dress like a woman who takes control of her life back after being subjected to such horrific violence. Apart from the fact that the clothes are depressingly ugly.

Dante said...

I cant even begin to imagine a girl going "Lisbeth survived rape. I wanna dress like her!" They see the ugly style that works only in movies and the name H&M and that its popular and join the herd. Its ridiculous.

Then there's the fact that the more poor looking the style of clothing is the more it costs which has bugged me for years.

Hazel said...

H&M is really cheap in Norway, I got a real shock at the high prices when they finally opened here. I have a few friends who dressed in that style back in college and the aesthetic damage was kept to a minimum by the fact that they were stick thin and scowly, which is a look the clothes are suited to. I hate that look. Bah.