Friday, February 25, 2011

In the fine tradition of Coco Chanel

In what is both the most bizarre and most appropriate news story ever to make it to WWPD, Dior fashion designer John Galliano was arrested, in Paris, in the Marais, for anti-Semitic verbal assault. Well, gosh. Next time someone asks me what it's like to be Jewish in France these days, I'll be sure to mention the possibility that one might be attacked by an especially flamboyant haute coutourier. (What will Mme Millepied, new face/torso of a Dior scent, make of this?)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Further details:

http://www.sleek-mag.com/news/galliano-vs-style-police/#more-10389

Is it anti-Semitic to say, "You're Asian..."?

Phoebe Maltz Bovy said...

Anon,

The "further details" come from a site that refers to the designer's alleged "anti-Semistic" remarks - not a good start.

But anyway, yes, in France at least, referring to Jews as "Oriental" or any variant thereof would, I believe, be racist, and insofar as racism against Jews is referred to as anti-Semitism, yes, this would count.