'Vogue Italia' Promotes 'Slave Earrings' (POLL)

Apparently looking like a slave is hot in Italy. So, after purchasing your "Nigger-brown" bag from eBay you can complete the look with a pair of "Slave earrings.

According to Italian Vogue's website, "Slave Earrings" are a trendy item you should consider buying.

Here is how the website describes the accessory:

"Jewellery has always flirted with circular shapes, especially for use in making earrings. The most classic models are the slave and creole styles in gold hoops. If the name brings to the mind the decorative traditions of the women of colour who were brought to the southern Unites States during the slave trade, the latest interpretation is pure freedom. Colored stones, symbolic pendants and multiple spheres. And the evolution goes on."

Angry commenters on Vogue Italy's website and Tweeters have not wasted any time in reacting.

The International Business Times reports that Tweeters have even produced a "tweet change" petition in response to the insensitive editorial.

The petition reads: "Ad agencies are clearly in dire need of consultation by Black Women and Men, as they routinely miss the mark in communicating with consumers. From the Summer's Eve to McDonald's to Vogue, the lack of tact, cultural relevance and basic intelligence is simply appalling."

Petitioners hope this will prompt the magazine to remove the ad. But that's not all, they are also looking for a specific apology from the magazine to black women because "black womens' supposed slave narratives were used in the promulgation of the ad."

Do you think it's offensive or just another lost-in-translation situation?

UPDATE: Vogue Italia's editor-in-chief, Franca Sozzani, has changed the name of the earrings to "Ethnic earrings," but did not change the description. She also issued the following statement in the comments section of the website:

"We apologize for the inconvenience. It is a matter of really bad traslation (sic) from Italian into English. The Italian word, which defines those kind of earrings, should instead be translated into 'ethnical style earrings.' Again, we are sorry about this mistake."

Here is a screen shot of the page before removing the word "slave."

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Comments

[csing]

02:38 PM on 09/12/2011

Why do they have to be called anything other than big gold hoops?

[cameowalkin]

02:56 PM on 09/05/2011

When my parents showed their Virgin Islands vacation film (in the late 50's), I adopted a head scarf and big hoop earrings to emulate the fashion of Carribean Islands women. The look wasn't called "slave" ... I think they called it my "pirate" look, which I finished off with a coolie hat and rollerskates, in true 9 year old panache. Lighten up folks. If you don't actually "own" a sense of humor, you could rent or adopt.

[Lalita Amos]

07:44 PM on 08/29/2011

From the Italian Vogue website:

"WE'VE DECIDED TO REMOVE THE ARTICLE FROM THE SITE TO PROVE OUR GOOD FAITH AND TO SHOW IT WASN'T OUR INTENTION TO INSULT ANYONE"

The caps were theirs--not mine.

[Lalita Amos]

07:38 PM on 08/29/2011

They changed it to "ethnic earrings?" So, Italian Vogue: Italians are an ethnic group. What, prithee, did you mean? Huh? Huh?!

[Miss Peaches]

10:26 AM on 08/25/2011

This is due to the lack of diversity in marketing/advertising. The marketing/adverstising industry is the least diverse. I believe minority representation in this industry is about 5-6% this is why you continue to see these blatently obvious lack of judgement in advertising.

[wisdomchase]

11:39 AM on 08/24/2011

Slaves wore slave ID tags on their necks and shackles.

[wisdomchase]

11:38 AM on 08/24/2011

Here we go. Slave earrings who cares and it's not new. I own some myself...it's a large hoop earring we all have them. If this offends you don't wear them.
There are slave bracelets and slave foot jewelery. Stop being so sensitive. Were you ever a slave?

[Lalita Amos]

07:39 PM on 08/29/2011

Never called "slave earrings" Try "door knockers" and a host of other things.

Never "slave earrings" in over 50 years.

[wisdomchase]

11:12 AM on 08/30/2011

You're late. "Try sack chasers" I know you know that terminology!
Now maybe where you come from it's unheard of. I'm over 50 yrs old and yes there has been in the past.. slave bracelets and matching hoops, they also sold some feet embellishments. It's still sold today. Relax.. I know slaves didn't were anything other than a slave tags and shackles and scars.

[owlie]

01:56 PM on 09/02/2011

Well no, that's the exact reason for it being suspect, considering slaves did not wear the jewelry that Vogue is discussing/advertising in the article. Those are bamboo earrings or what some call/ed door knockers, slaves did not wear these earrings. I have never even known of them being worn until the rise of hip-hop in the 1980s, which means that when they stated "slave earrings," they are using slave as an interchangeable term with black american or african-american, and that is ignorant. I don't know if the blunder was malicious or not, but it is indeed insensitive and ignorant, and to claim a translation error where 'slave' was mistaken for 'ethnical'. Really? Hmm, since when is 'ethnic' reserved for a particular group of people(I thought that pertained to any cultural group), because that would mean that term is tailored for blacks if it could be mistranslated as 'slave', and they know that,which is why the article was removed from the site.

[blondd780]

06:50 PM on 08/23/2011

Slaves did not wear jewelry. Really? Slaves with jewelry? A slave did not own themselves, and they want people to believe that they owned jewelry?

[tvmommy2]

03:55 PM on 08/23/2011

Just when I thought I'd seen it all.. Wow.
http://www.goodenoughmother.com/2011/08/the-gem-debate-slave-earrings-are-you-offended/

[BlindChance]

03:41 PM on 08/23/2011

Next:

Slave Shackle Bracelets
Slave Neck Restraint Necklaces

Hey, why not? It's fashion baby!

[yes, this is all snark]

[Jai Hro]

02:35 PM on 08/23/2011

And I love Italian fashion but I guess it does not love me :(

[Tre Members]

12:59 PM on 08/23/2011

Why do we keep letting people take our culture, sell it back to us at inflated prices and on top of that insult us? Every Black woman should boycott Vogue- consumers, models, designers, journalists etc.- they don't have a good track record anyway.

[706makeupgirl]

11:08 AM on 08/23/2011

These earrings are called 'Bamboo Hoops' because of the Bamboo motif used to shape the hoop. The Italian editor makes another gaffe... she says "We apologize for the inconvenience. It is a matter of really bad traslation (sic) from Italian into English. The Italian word, which defines those kind of earrings, should instead be translated into 'ethnical style earrings.'" What she really meant to say was "Black Girl Ghetto Style". Sad.

[TheSarge]

11:33 PM on 08/22/2011

Well this type of ignorance completely squashes my hopes that the idiocy of race was quickly moving on to a dusty shelf in a library.

[amd02148]

11:24 PM on 08/22/2011

Is it just me or couldn't they just call them hoops? Give the diameter of the earrings and call it a day.