Coming February 6, 2024 . . .
MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE
by Michael Wolraich
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Coming February 6, 2024 . . . MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE by Michael Wolraich Pre-order at Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Bookshop |
Kim Kardashian is changing the name of her new shapewear line after getting a dressing-down from many people, including the mayor of Kyoto, Japan.
The reality show star announced Monday via Twitter that she would no longer call the brand “Kimono.”
Kardashian’s decision to drop “Kimono” came after Kyoto Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa posted an open letter Monday on Facebook asking her to consider a new name.
“I am writing this letter to convey our thoughts on Kimono and ask you to re-consider your decision of using the name Kimono in your trademark,” Kadokawa wrote in the letter, per Japan Today. “Kimono is a traditional ethnic dress fostered in our rich nature and history with our predecessors’ tireless endeavors and studies, and it is a culture that has been cherished and passed down with care in our living. Also, it is a fruit of craftsmanship and truly symbolizes sense of beauty, spirits and values of Japanese.”
The mayor added that Japan is working to get “Kimono Culture” registered to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. “We think that the names for ‘Kimono’ are the asset shared with all humanity who love Kimono and its culture therefore they should not be monopolized,” he wrote.
He also invited Kardashian and her husband, Kanye West, to visit Kyoto “where many Japanese cultures including Kimono have been cherished,” so they could “experience the essence of Kimono Culture and understand our thoughts and our strong wish.”
Writer Scott Wilson speculated Kadokawa was throwing shade at the couple with that last remark since they have visited Tokyo before. “Is the mayor saying that they haven’t fully experienced Japan just by popping around Shinjuku grabbing McDonald’s apple pies? Well, we’ll just have to leave that up to interpretation,” Wilson wrote.
Kardashian announced her new shapewear line last Tuesday and immediately came under fire since it had the same name as a traditional Japanese silk robe.
Although the “Kimono” name is a pun on Kardashian’s first name, it also reeks of cultural appropriation — which seems to be part of her M.O. The fashion mogul has previously received backlash for wearing Fulani braids, sporting an Indian headpiece and appearing to be in blackface.
Comments
In a side ruling, the Kardashians managed to reclaim the letter 'K',
such that from now on the Japanese city will be referred to as "Yoto"
and the garments in question as "Imonos".
Kiev, Kandahar and Kathmandu are apparently weighing their options carefully.
by PeraclesPlease on Mon, 07/01/2019 - 6:18pm
Now I wonder: orginally, did Kardashian Inc. lease "K" to Kanye Inc., or was it the other way around? Was all this in the pre-nup? (Of note: the children have no K's: Saint, Chicago, North and Psalm.) Is this what the Ye album was really about?
Edit to add: I was thinking of doing my old lecture about how the French in the late 19th century used Japanese woodblock prints to wrap fish until some avant-gardy French artists pointed out: hey these are kinda cool, maybe we should hang em on the wall and let them inspire our art. But I changed my mind. This appropriation thingie has all grown very very tiresome and as they say: this too shall pass. I give the fad no more than a year more, then they will all say: what the heck were we thinking? We're globalists! We got shit to do like: save the planet.
by artappraiser on Mon, 07/01/2019 - 7:11pm
My, AA took her optimist pills this morning, or those French-made rose colored glasses. 1 year to nirvana? can't wait.
by PeraclesPlease on Tue, 07/02/2019 - 1:58am