Dior sparks outrage over photo for 'demeaning Korean women'

Wonder if it was a lost in translation moment for a marketing firm hired by Dior?

"We want a grungy background with a trendy young lady toting a lady dior."

"Sure"

*Marketing firms takes shots in red-light district*

"Dior receives grungy photos and okays it"

*Publishes photos*

*People point out it is a red-light district, Dior*
 
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This was a work of art by a photographer though not an ad campaign

Good thought though. I was thinking the same thing maybe they just wanted to showcase the trash on the streets, but still just weird

I was also thinking Dior couldn't have possibly done this intentionally because they care about their brand image too much and if these insinuations were true that would cheapen their brand
 
I actually really like the image... Without reading the article I wouldn't have know what the signs mean... But I definitely don't believe Dior meant this to be demeaning to any woman!! It's just a great image!!!!
 
I guess if you envisioned those signs all in English and they all say "Girls Girls Girls" in bold letters everywhere and imagine the backdrop is like... I don't know, some Eastern European city back alley and it was a blonde Eastern European girl w a Dior I guess would be the similar feel or message they perceived

Perhaps it wasn't culturally appropriate and Koreans in general as a public are very sensitive
 
apparently the artist said it was a reflection of mysogeny in korean society.
i think he has a point.

like their society doesnt look on divorced women kindly, and my korean friend said korean women dont have the same rights in divorce as men do and it can affect their careers negatively which would never happen in the uk.

in addition abortion is illegal though they do not have mandatory reporting or enforce the punishment, and unmarried women are looked upon by society as sluts if they want oral contraceptives. i take contraceptive tablets to control my periods as do some of my friend, and i wouldnt be happy about being labelled a **** because i have to control my body as my periods are too heavy to handle regularly.

if women are not given the right to equal standing to a man within marriage and divorce, and are denied the right to control their own reproductive system and health without being judged negatively, then yes, i agree with the photographer that korean society is mysogenistic because if women are not allowed control over their own bodies they are at the mercy of men and cannot plan their own lives and finances effectively. particularly because abortions have even been refused to women who are victims of rape.

imho, korea is demeaning its own women and the photographer wanted to draw attention to this.
 
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The photo is very interesting. The upright pose of the woman and the direct unsmiling gaze I thought was a statement. She's not a underaged model wearing nearly nothing but a sultry gaze, which is how a lot of ad campaigns sell fashion (and that is truly demeaning). The photo say "I'm not afraid to stand here and look you in the eye" and I think that is powerful. And she's carrying the iconic LD in this photo, which is remarkable too in its message.

Too bad Dior had to apologize. But that's what happens when art gets mixed up with marketing. As art, it's interesting and intellectually provocative. As marketing, well, I don't know what Dior is trying to say.
 
If the photographer wanted to draw attention to the fact that Korea is demeaning its own women, he shouldn't have done this at the expense of Dior. It's not good for their image and it's them who have to apologise now.
If you want to protest - don't hide behind the brand and throw them under the bus. Not cool
 
If the photographer wanted to draw attention to the fact that Korea is demeaning its own women, he shouldn't have done this at the expense of Dior. It's not good for their image and it's them who have to apologise now.
If you want to protest - don't hide behind the brand and throw them under the bus. Not cool

I don't understand.

Are you saying that artists should be censored if their art inspires controversy?
 
I don't understand.



Are you saying that artists should be censored if their art inspires controversy?


I don't know where you saw "artists should be censored" in my words. But I believe that if "the exhibition invites contemporary artists to create works showing how they see the Lady Dior bag", it's not cool to use it for your protest and put the brand in the position where they have to apologise.
 
I don't know where you saw "artists should be censored" in my words. But I believe that if "the exhibition invites contemporary artists to create works showing how they see the Lady Dior bag", it's not cool to use it for your protest and put the brand in the position where they have to apologise.

He WAS censored as part of the apology; his work was removed from the exhibition. It's not like his work wasn't chosen for the exhibition. It was used by Dior, it was included in the exhibition and then removed after it generated controversy & the accompanying publicity.

Dior should have exercised better judgement over what they chose to exhibit, rather than exhibiting controversial artwork and then blaming the artist after the fact for creating controversy.
 
I actually really like the image... Without reading the article I wouldn't have know what the signs mean... But I definitely don't believe Dior meant this to be demeaning to any woman!! It's just a great image!!!!

I have to admit I really liked the photo too but of course I did not know where it was or was able to read the signage, but the pic is pretty cool to me and I did not think anything of it.
 
The photo is very interesting. The upright pose of the woman and the direct unsmiling gaze I thought was a statement. She's not a underaged model wearing nearly nothing but a sultry gaze, which is how a lot of ad campaigns sell fashion (and that is truly demeaning). The photo say "I'm not afraid to stand here and look you in the eye" and I think that is powerful. And she's carrying the iconic LD in this photo, which is remarkable too in its message.

Too bad Dior had to apologize. But that's what happens when art gets mixed up with marketing. As art, it's interesting and intellectually provocative. As marketing, well, I don't know what Dior is trying to say.

I agree it is a refreshing photo of defiance on the models part and so great to not have someone draped over a sofa holding a bag as so many of the fashion magazines do. I like the colours, mood & tone in this - but that is of course without knowing what the signs said.
 
It seems like people are confused over what is happening here. This photo is not an ad. It is in a photo exhibition in the Seoul flagship store. For reference, other artists that Dior invited to create works for this exhibition created sculptures that could have easily been mistaken for runway Lady Diors if it weren't for the fact that they were solid sculptures. No other work has trash, litter, or other unsavory slants to them. For that matter, no other artist tried to underscore societal criticisms in their works. There is clearly a serious lack of judgment from Lee Wan, no matter how his other photography may have followed these lines.

This gaffe really sours the image of Dior. And I say this as a die-hard Dior fan. I am offended that they chose to display this photo in a flagship store. The image leaves a bitter aftertaste, and it is basically cruelly mocking its Asian clientele with this while still encouraging them to shop there via other ads and branding messages. If I were able to feel this uncomfortable after a first glance at the image, imagine how all their potential clients felt walking into the Seoul store and seeing this. It's like a slap in the face.