DISGRASIAN OF THE WEAK! Forever 21 And Its “Oriental Girl” Necklace
Forever 21 committed another “Allergic to Algebra”-type gaffe this week when fashion bloggers discovered the Korean American-owned company was selling an “Oriental Girl” necklace.
For anyone hoping to buy an Oriental Girl on the cheap–only one dolla fifty!–you should know that the item has been pulled, or it’s “out of stock,” as the Forever 21 website now states.
When the Forever 21 “Allergic to Algebra” shirt came out, I had to wonder what kind of Asians would sell such a dumbed-down, regressive and ultimately cynical product to the masses. After the company’s latest oops, the answer’s clear: Orientals.
Forever 21 founder Don Chang with his daughters Esther and Linda, who both work for the company
For context on why it’s “Asian” and not “Oriental,” click here. I can’t believe this shit still has to be spelled out for people.
[photo via The Observer]
[Fashionista:Forever 21 is Selling Native American Girl and ‘Oriental Girl’ Necklaces]
Filed under: Asian-Owned Businesses, Dumb Asians, Fashion, Fashism, Forever 21, Forever 21 Allergic to Algebra Shirt, Forever 21 Chang Family, Forever 21 Oriental Girl Necklace, Learn Your History For Fuck's Sake, Oriental, Orientalism, Orientals, Outmoded Terms, Revoking Someone's Asian Card
Have you ever tried being the lone voice in a gaggle of foaming gay men trying to explain why using “Orient-made” is one of the dumbest things to say in a “celebrating diversity” song by Lady Gaga? It’s a great reinforcement for your morale when you see intelligent and socially aware men suddenly go down to an IQ of 3. You can hear the gears whining and grinding as they try to reconcile how their pro-gay idol said or did something blatantly ignorant in all sense of the word.
Then when the question of “why is Oriental offensive” obnoxiously appears from the mouths of people who would crucify a Conservative bigot for saying it. And THEN when the statements like “some people are too sensitive” and “they’re just words” start happening–from the mouths of gay men who just practically pissed blood over a rapper calling something ‘gay’–you know it’s time to mentally check out.
what would an ‘occidental girl’ necklace look like? at least it’s not as bad as the ‘no vd,no vc’ tee shirt my friend Cuc has.
It would be a trashy blond chick wearing an Oriental Girl necklace.
“Occidental Girl”, if mispelled, could be a necklace worn by a lass whose parents’ artificial insemination didn’t get them the son they wanted.
That’s the same crap I deal with whenever I try to explain to people why the term “Chinaman” is offensive. They invariably try to justify it by saying “well if you’re Irish you’re an Irishman, and if you’re French you’re a Frenchman, so why is Chinaman an offensive term???”
I think it’s a kind of cute necklace. If the colours were brighter, it would look like something Tokidoki would sell. If they gave the necklace a better name, I don’t think there’d be much of an issue here.