You all probably know the story by now: Jeffree Star buys $1,300 Chanel boomerang. Jeffree Star flaunts boomerang on social media. Jeffree Star receives backlash for exorbitance and cultural appropriation. Jeffree Star becomes international news.
This weekend, Star had some things to say about that.
Star made a monthly favorites videos featuring — you guessed it — that controversial Chanel boomerang.
And everything was all fun and makeup until he brought up the "circus" surrounding his Chanel boomerang.
"In my head, as an American citizen, I have seen boomerangs since I was a child, and they have been used for leisure activity from dawn until dusk, girl," he said. "So when I bought this, I did not think anything of it… I bought this because I love Chanel; I am a fashion whore, and I just love anything fun or unique… But of course the boomerang just turned into a circus."
"I am really sorry if anyone was offended by this," he continued. "At the end of the day, I bought this with my own money because I thought it was cool."
And although it was respectful of Star to apologize, things took a turn real fast when he got into the issue of cultural appropriation.
"I know a lot of you were like, 'Girl, that is from an indigenous Australian culture that has been a whole thing for hundreds of years," he said. "And I did a lot of Googling, and I’m like OK — the price point was a little crazy, yes. Did I spend $1,300 on a piece of wood? Yeah, but that’s my own money that I worked for, so who the fuck cares what I buy."
Star then brought up boomerangs sold by other American retailers, and theorized that the backlash had more to do with him than it did the boomerang itself.
"Um, Walmart.com has been selling boomerangs for 20 years for $10. How come no one cared? Boomerangs have been sold at Toys R Us for years. Boomerangs are for sale on Target — everywhere… They’re common things here in America. And I think because it’s me, because it involves me, it’s always gonna be a circus, and people always want to make it a thing."
But here's the thing that Star doesn't seem to get about all this backlash — it isn't really about him.
Was Jeffree Star the catalyst for all this attention? Yes. Is Jeffree Star's internet fame and controversial past in part to blame for that? Yes. Is it ludicrous for someone to spend $1,300 on something like a boomerang? Yes.
So while Star's reasoning is understandable from his perspective, it still really isn't that valid BECAUSE it's coming from only his perspective.
It's about centuries of discrimination against Aboriginal Australians, the immense anger about which has been swept under the rug, much like it has been for America's indigenous people.
The commodification of one its cultural icons, the boomerang, is symbolic of this oppression.
That's why there are countless Australian organizations — such as Australian Human Rights Commission, The National Congress of Australia's First People, and the Aborigines Progressive Association — that have been fighting for Aboriginal rights for a LONG time — and defending them from cultural appropriation is a part of that.
So of course it's no surprise that Star couldn't possibly understand this fully — because he's not Australian, let alone an Aboriginal Australian.
This is a born-and-bred Australian you're hearing this from, by the way.
Star also said that getting offended over a piece of wood is silly, considering how many tragedies happen on a daily basis.
And that's also fucked up. To say that people don't care about one thing because they also care about another just doesn't make sense. That's the same reasoning that's frequently used to defend casual racism, sexism, homophobia, etc.
I won't even get into the correlation among cultural appropriation, racism, and violent hate crime, AKA many of the "tragedies" seen on the news. That's another story altogether.
So perhaps Star's comments should be taken with a massive grain of salt.
And to understand this issue as deeply as you can, you can read words on the matter from Aboriginals, and read up on the history of cultural appropriation in runway fashion.
Ok, more than a grain.
Try again, Jeffree Star.
Want more? Visit our Eyeliner Addict Facebook page and like us for more breaking beauty news!
