MAC for Rodarte Update!

It's not often in life that I am pleasantly surprised. We live in a cynical society, and at times during the online "protest" (for want of a better term) against the handling of the MAC collection for Rodarte, there have been lots of different views expressed both for and against the collection. While we don't have to all agree with each other,we have to remember that we all have a right to our own opinions and to express them freely. In the course of moderating comments and reading the posts on the topic, I've had to accept this myself, and publish various comments which I disagree with - I have always sworn to myself that I would only ever moderate out spam comments. Obviously I have the odd issue and annoyance with other bloggers trying to promote their own stuff, but after a little grumble, I realised that I had to let that go - at the end of the day, it's not that important...

I was never about telling people what to think, or how to feel about the collection itself, or the companies responsible, but I had definite issues with the handling of this collection specifically. I've never called for the pulling of the collection, because I have been able to recognise that the positive thing that has come out of all of this is that awareness has been raised. 


I've also never called for an out and out boycott of MAC, as I feel that this would be an unfair dismissal of a brand that has achieved a lot through schemes such as the Viva Glam lipsticks, which as you know raise money for AIDS charities,and have in their own way increased awareness and acceptance of those affected. Equally, I am aware that other bloggers do feel that it is appropriate to boycott MAC as a company, and I understand this view too... 


My issue was purely with the way that the collection had been handled in terms of not one of the people working on the collection stopping to think about the messages that were being conveyed. I felt insulted that this was then compounded with what felt to me like an afterthought of an apology, and a slap dash promise to donate "a portion" of profits to some unnamed charity. 


Flash forward to a couple of days later, and MAC issued a further statement promising $100,000 to a nominated charity. Initially this was hailed as a victory. However I then realised that this was approx £60,000 (I can only think in money when I convert it to the stuff I handle - I'm no economist!) and an average MAC counter can earn around £12,000 on a given Saturday in the UK. So again, this seemed somewhat inadequate to me. 


Lets also remember that this is not all MAC's fault - this was a collection they produced for Rodarte - I've held back on commenting about this, because I would never and could never claim to be any sort of expert in fashion. You'd only have to look at me to see that that is clearly not the case. Hell I still think the Maxi Dress is a major style trend, and I will cling to it desperately for many a summer to come. 


Fashion and art often blurs it's lines, and there will always be a debate about where the line of acceptability is drawn. Again, this is not something I feel qualified to address, and I freely admit this. Damien Hirst's pickled animals were extremely controversial in their day, but are now recognised as valid art pieced. However the fact remains that had MAC released a collection glorifying any other modern genocide such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the collection would never have gotten past the first meeting.


I do however have a "gut feeling" - an instinct for what feels right and wrong to me on a personal level. Makeup can be artistic, and can be used to make statements, and these statements can be positive or negative. Had MAC chosen a different way to promote this collection, as well as capitalising on their abilities to raise awareness in the same way as they have with the Viva Glam line then I suspect that many bloggers would have applauded them, and this collection could have been of great benefit to all involved. And doubtless, the online community would never have come together and rallied in the way that they/we did.


So I was thrilled to come home from work to log onto twitter to see yet more info coming through on the Temptalia website - Mac have now issued a further statement;


"MEXICO CITY, México, July 29, 2010 – In response to public concern over the limited edition MAC Rodarte makeup collection, set to launch in fall 2010, MAC will donate all of its global profits from this collection to a newly created initiative to raise awareness and provide on-the-ground support to the women and girls in Juarez. MAC and Rodarte are deeply sorry that this makeup collection was so offensive to the people of Mexico and concerned global citizens.

This announcement follows a meeting last evening in Mexico City with MAC executives and Mexican government officials, including CONAVIM (Comisión Nacional Para Prevenir y Erradicar la Violencia Contra las Mujeres/National Commission to Prevent and Eradicate Violence Against Women.)

During the meeting, held at the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this collective group committed to working together on the overall direction of the new initiative to help the women and girls of Juarez and to raise global awareness of their plight. MAC executives reiterated their deep regret and reinforced that it was never MAC’s or Rodarte’s intent to minimize the suffering of the women and girls of Ciudad Juarez.

In the coming weeks, MAC and Rodarte will be consulting with members of CONAVIM´s advisory board, as well as other local and global experts, to develop a comprehensive framework that provides grants to local and international organizations with a track record of improving the lives of the women and girls in Juarez.

“We are deeply sorry and apologize to everyone we offended, especially the victims, the women and girls of Juarez and their families. We have heard the response of concerned global citizens loud and clear and are doing our very best to right our wrong. The essence of MAC is to give back and care for the community and our initial handling of this makeup collection was not reflective of MAC’s values. MAC and Rodarte are committed to using these learnings to raise awareness on this important issue and to leverage our unique platform to help the women and girls of Juarez,” said MAC President John Demsey.

“Rodarte is committed to using creativity for positive social change. As designers, we strongly feel it is our responsibility to use ideas and actions for the good of our global community and are truly sorry for the offense we have caused. We are raising our voices in support of the strong women and girls of Juarez and joining others who are working internationally to improve their lives,” said Kate and Laura Mulleavy, designers of Rodarte.

Last week, MAC and Rodarte announced they would also be renaming the products and redesigning the marketing materials associated with the collection.

MAC has a longstanding tradition of service in Mexico, supporting important social causes in the country such as HIV prevention and treatment. Since 2002, the MAC AIDS Fund has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to local entities, including Fundación Eudes, La Casa de la Sal, A.C., Ser Humano, A.C., Mesón de la Misericordia Divina A.C., Pirana Studio, and Fundación Unidos por un México Vivo.

MAC has had operations in Mexico since 1999. The brand currently employs more than 150 local professionals."

I am very happy to see that this issue  has been resolved in such a way - Lets hope that this initiative being set up will benefit the area in a positive and long term way. I applaud MAC for backing down, admitting that they could have handled things better and trying to make things right.

One of the frequent criticisms levelled at the bloggers who had posted about the subject was that once everything had "died down", that we would all go back to our "cozy little lives" and forget all about it. Personally I find these opinions somewhat defeatist - if no one ever stood up and said that they disagreed with things, nothing would ever change. We'd still be pushing children up chimneys and forcing unwed mothers to give up their children wouldn't we? OK, those are extreme examples, but the point remains!

I'm still left wondering what else I can do on a personal level... Perhaps when the initiative that MAC are planning to set up is more established, I could raise money through sponsorship. I'm certainly not intending to just forget all about what is going on, and if I can continue to raise awareness in my own way, then this is something I intend to do. I'm just not sure how yet. All I know is that I felt strongly about this issue, and what is going on in Juarez not something I can forget on a personal level. No one is saying that MAC will now solve all these issues and problems, but at least something is now in motion to address what is going on.