All’s Well That Ends Well?

Posted by Tamara in opinion | 3 comments

I’ve been waiting to speak my piece on this for a while. These types of situations are always fascinating, but from where I stand I knew that more would come of it than a few perturbed makeup fans.

What I’m referring to is MAC’s yearly designer collection, featuring a collaboration with Rodarte, that was slated to launch in September.

Except, it’s not launching. MAC decided not to ship the collection, noted August 16th on their Facebook page.

As you can see from the imagery, many found the haunting, ghostly aesthetic paired with the history of femicide in Juárez to be completely insensitive.  This came to a head as the responses from both MAC and Rodarte seemed to imply a mistake was made rather than intentionally raising awareness.

Many of those who found the collection to be in bad taste stirred up a huge controversy, that not only put the brakes on the collection but spread awareness about what goes on in Ciudad Juárez. It’s my feeling that the awareness is good, the fact that MAC is still intending to donate the project profits to the appropriate charities is good, raising voices can advocate change which is also good.

What I find to be less inspiring is the sheer number of people who jumped on the bandwagon without doing any sort of research. While I feel like MAC made a major PR blunder, I feel it’s a drop in the pond. While I hold them responsible for this mishap, they do not directly contribute to the situation unlike the many corporations who have set up contracts with factories to manufacture their product for lower costs, due to lower wages. I haven’t heard anyone take a run at Dell, Johnson & Johnson or General Motors. What about Boeing, Lexmark or Siemens?

How many people are making a conscious effort to donate? I feel like there are many who are just expecting others to do it for them. This particular situation is nothing new, and these types of situations happen all over the world, every day. I take offense when I read about those who feel that $100k or projected profits aren’t enough. Well, to be completely blunt – there will never be enough from a single source. It’s not about ‘enough’ when you’re not willing to step up to the plate yourself.

These are socio-economic problems that go far beyond the decision of choosing the right foundation shade. Some might call me skeptical, but for all the talk I saw, for all the offended sensibilities – how many actually took that and made it into something self driven? How many people took that bad situation and turned it around in a meaningful way? We all voice our opinions every day, and I definitely consider myself lucky to be able to do so without prosecution.  However, at the end of the day – talk is cheap, until the action comes to light.

Despite the fact that Rodarte’s fashion collection was shown much earlier in the year, the makeup collection will not be launched. Charities will receive donations from MAC and all those that chose to make a difference – what the difference will be in the long term, remains to be seen. Good has been done, but the manner in which it came to light was disappointing not only from MAC and Rodarte but the general population and their ignorant responses.

But all’s well that ends well, right?

Further reading:

• Tantalizing Eyez: MAC, Rodarte and the Controversy Pt 1 & 2
• Salem News
• Vex in the City: Collection Ignites Juarez Controversy
• Wall Street Journal
• Wikipedia: Ciudad Juárez