In his book, Richard Stamelman speaks about the african trend in fragrance bottle design as "the elegance and beauty of perfume invention and design offer no guarantees against the insensitivity of cololonialist and racist images …as revealed by Golliwogg (1920)". He also insists later in a racist interpretation which is quite exagerated and false in the context of 1920's fashion.
I will give the example of Germany to explain how this kind of statements in perfume history are completely out of time and subject.
"The jazz and american imported dances became a craze in 1920's Germany and some reviewers said in that time" If only the Kaiser had danced jazz than all of that never would have come to pass!" A fascination of black performers also developed. Termed "Bewegungsidole", movement idols, black entertainers like Josephine Baker became symbols. A critic said about her performances "they have brought us our culture. Humanity has returned to its origins in the niggersteps, in the shaking and loosened bodies…It is the deepest expression of our innermost longing."
Soon, Das Biguine, the first "Negerbar" (negro bar) opened in Berlin. Whomen, who usually wore very pale face makeup smeared dark color on their faces in an attempt to transform themselves into Baker like offspring. They wanted to look like her, to dance like her, to move like her, to be as erotic as she was. The adulation peaked in 1926 when Josehine Baker was appointed juror for a contest to decide the most beautiful and most authentic "false Negro". "
Soon in 1930 all this will come to an end in Germany. (the refferences are in the book I previously mentioned).
Vogue Paris offered a Chanel evening gown model where the woman (white) had a hair cut similar to Josephine Baker.
Behind the french fashion magazine Vogue and Vigny (the producer of Golli Woog) was the same Michel de Brunhoff. "inherent racism" is the most stupid term I've ever heard about a fragrance bottle/presentation. Maybe in a 100 years we'll heard about Opium the same (an insult to chinese people as a drug addicted culture).
I will give the example of Germany to explain how this kind of statements in perfume history are completely out of time and subject.
"The jazz and american imported dances became a craze in 1920's Germany and some reviewers said in that time" If only the Kaiser had danced jazz than all of that never would have come to pass!" A fascination of black performers also developed. Termed "Bewegungsidole", movement idols, black entertainers like Josephine Baker became symbols. A critic said about her performances "they have brought us our culture. Humanity has returned to its origins in the niggersteps, in the shaking and loosened bodies…It is the deepest expression of our innermost longing."
Soon, Das Biguine, the first "Negerbar" (negro bar) opened in Berlin. Whomen, who usually wore very pale face makeup smeared dark color on their faces in an attempt to transform themselves into Baker like offspring. They wanted to look like her, to dance like her, to move like her, to be as erotic as she was. The adulation peaked in 1926 when Josehine Baker was appointed juror for a contest to decide the most beautiful and most authentic "false Negro". "
Soon in 1930 all this will come to an end in Germany. (the refferences are in the book I previously mentioned).
Vogue Paris offered a Chanel evening gown model where the woman (white) had a hair cut similar to Josephine Baker.
Behind the french fashion magazine Vogue and Vigny (the producer of Golli Woog) was the same Michel de Brunhoff. "inherent racism" is the most stupid term I've ever heard about a fragrance bottle/presentation. Maybe in a 100 years we'll heard about Opium the same (an insult to chinese people as a drug addicted culture).
What will we think about Harajuku Lovers of Gwen Stefani in the next 100 years - that fashion today sees in Japan only dolls and mangas? I hope not. At least in both cases I don't think that there was any bad intention or a proof of anything. (fashion can be silly, I admit - I noticed in a 1935 french Vogue mentions about fascist trend, with refference to Italy - but I don't think there was something more than visual).
photo: Ragoarts
update: It seems that the first subject (Golliwogg) was presented before, but not in a perfume book:
- "Golliwog: innocent doll to symbol of racism" - papers presented at the Popular Culture Association's conferences in the Advertising Area held 1985-1989.
- and the other in Journal of Communication, Volume 46 Issue 2 Page 150-157, June 1996
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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art
