Today I’m writing a very different type of post because it’s something I really want to share with as many people as I can. Perhaps some of you have heard of this already but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to write this or not. I never wanted to post anything political or controversial on this blog but I think this issue needs to be talked about.
Last month MAC paired with designers RODARTE released their makeup collection “Juárez”, inspired by the infamous town of México with the same name. The designers apparently took a road trip to Texas and the Mexican cities around the border in search of inspiration. Inspiration they found not in the colorful streets of Mexico nor their rich culture, but on the femicide and drug related massacres this town has been experiencing for the last years. The makeup with names like “Factory”, “Juárez”, "Softly Drifting", “Ghost Town”, and “Del Norte” seems to give you the colors you need to look just like the many women found tortured, raped, and killed in the city. See the picture above? The very pale ghost looking girl? And what about this blood streaked looking blush? Pretty glamorous eh?
I’m being sarcastic I know, but I cannot tell you how mad and offended I am by the insensibility of these people that pretend to profit from a tragedy. There have been more than 6,000 drug related murders in the city since 2008, and this includes little kids. And since 1993 there have been 600 women brutally tortured and murdered, and thousands are still disappeared. They have been some bodies found with their nipples bitten off (apparently while the women were still alive), and their head chopped off. I won’t link you to the pictures because they’re very graphic.
Some girls are as young as 7 years old!!! Many of the women work at U.S. owned factories, “maquiladoras”, for about $2 a day. They take the company shuttles in the middle of the night and some of them mysteriously don’t make it to work or back home. The police and government have not been able to find any answers all these years, maybe because they’re related to the murders.
My grandma’s niece who lived in a little town close to Juarez disappeared in 1996 when she never came back from school. She was only 13 at the time. Her mom joined the hundreds of mothers that cry around the city, carrying a picture of their daughters hoping to find them someday.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of designers raising awareness on the issue but this is not the way. It wasn’t until both MAC and RODANTE were confronted after showing the line at a fashion show that they released a statement apologizing and said they were going to change the names of the products and donate $100,000. BUT THIS IS NOT ENOUGH!! Imagine if they had released a line inspired by 9/11? “Terrorist” lipstick, “Twin Towers” eye shadow and all… Both companies would be done by now! The line is still scheduled to go on sale this September, and they should donate 100% of the proceeds at least.
I know I won’t be buying any more MAC makeup and don’t worry I’m not asking you to do the same. Just wanted to raise awareness on this and if you like you can do the following:
- E-mail MAC and tell them you want them to donate 100% of the proceeds of their “Juarez” line to help the Women of Juarez or simply not release the line at all or:
- Sign the petition here.
- Sign the petition here.
- Tell all your friends!!
Thank you so much!!
Stop the killing of women in Juárez!!
¡¡NI UNA MAS!!
MJ
Thank you so much for this awareness...How is this tragedy fashionable?
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