Karl Lagerfeld Called Me "Ugly"

In the September issue of Harper's Bazaar, the editors ran a cutesy feature titled 'What Would Coco Do?'. With the new film Coco Before Chanel due out this autumn, says the headline, "Bazaar wondered what the notoriously feisty Madame Chanel would say about the world after Chanel. So we asked [current Chanel designer] Karl Lagerfeld to channel the original fashion wit."

One of these exchanges goes like so:

Harper's Bazaar: Your clothing liberated women in the 1920s. Are you still a feminist?

Lagerfeld-as-Chanel: I was never a feminist because I was never ugly enough for that.

This quip rankled me on many levels: as a woman, as a fashion consumer, as a writer for both adult and young women. It is a spiteful, irrelevant observation: one's appearance has nothing to do with one's relationship to feminism. In my mind, a feminist is any woman who believes that women - like men - have the right to determine their own individual destinies, barred neither by law nor cultural convention from doing so. I am proud to count myself in that category.

That Madame Chanel did not consider herself a feminist is well-documented, despite the fact that in some respects she could be considered a feminist icon: an impoverished-orphan-turned-female-business-mogul who redefined the attitudes of her generation and those to follow. Her self-created persona, aesthetics, and empire were premised on the defiance of the rigid social constructs of her youth. She could hardly be considered a creature of demure Victorian subservience.

Whatever her reasons for declining to categorize herself as a feminist, her career provides much inspiration for ambitious women everywhere. That her successor chooses to mock a demographic of Chanel's consumers (not all of whom are buying his apparel with their husbands' Mastercards), and propagate this erroneous impression of feminism, is unfortunate and disenchanting.

This "ugly feminist" would expect more from the ambassador of a brand supposedly devoted to elegance.

Follow Lesley M. M. Blume on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lesleymmblume

Comments

[chroma601]

Back in the day, I heard a joke an announcer told on New York's classical music radio station WQXR:

"How many feminists does it take to change a light bulb?
The answer is, that's not funny."

[Rodri76]

It definately was meant as a joke. This type of humor is very popular in Europe, especially the UK. The film 'Bruno' is of the same kind, just as British programms like 'Little Britain'.

I get the feeling in the US people have a different type of humor and often don't understand the kind of humor where people laugh about ridiculous old stereotypes.

Lisa Lampanelli is maybe a New York version, as she makes a lot of jokes about race and sexual stereotypes but the woman is not a bigot or racist at all.

[Lesley M. M. Blume - Huffpost Blogger]

Darlings, yes, it was a joke ... as you all know, "quip" means "a cutting jest." But that really is besides the point. Humor still perpetuates stereotypes. Feminists are always accused of being humorless, as a way to deflect their criticism.

[Rodri76]

I personally see this type of humor as a step to overcome them and to laugh them off, but obviously you don't agree, which is fine.

By the way, please note that no one here said that feminists are humorless. My mother and sister are feminists as well and have a great sense of humor (and would laugh about this).

[QueenCeleste]

He has always seemed a most unpleasant man, imperious and pretentious. I do not interpret his comment as a joke, but if it is, it is very telling.

[Kathleen Shimp]

The entire article in Bazaar is obviously a joke.
If you have never liked him to begin with, I doubt you'll enjoy any of it, but it does become clear it is a humor piece if you read it.

[misselly]

I hate to be that person, but a huge part of what makes Coco Chanel a feminist icon is that she was unmarried! She wasn't Madame Chanel, she was Mademoiselle Chanel, and she prided herself on that.

[Kathleen Shimp]

Ms. Blume, do you mind if I call you humorless?

[Lesley M. M. Blume - Huffpost Blogger]

Hmmm. You could, but it wouldn't be true.

[BobLablah]

It was a joke. Many of the early feminists were ugly - stereotypes come from somewhere. Feminists today are often hot. That's cool.