A few months ago the Twitterverse was turned topsy-turvy. Louis
Vuitton makes condoms?!?! WHosey whosey what what? And they're appropriately
priced (in light of LV's general pricing) at $68.00 each.
But wait, they're fake(s). The LV condom was actually designed as a
collaboration between Kirizia and Design Provocation. The condoms were supposed
to launch on World AIDS Day, with all the proceeds being donated to the
Foundation for AIDS Research (The Mirror UK).
I'm all for interesting ways to spread the message on World AIDS
Day. I'm a huge fan of piping up and saying things like "wrap it
up!", "No glove - no love" whenever there's a lull in a
conversation. So don't get me wrong - I think the idea was awesome. Kudos! Who
needs the Trojan man throwing condoms out into the crowd when you could have a
(insert stereotypical LV consumer description here) equipped with LV purse,
luggage, hair clips, scarf, whatever other ridiculously over-priced piece of mass
consumerism in the form of textile you can think of, throwing special LV condoms at you?! Wait! That
would never happen. The condoms are $68. You probably have to pre-order and
sign up online and then wait in another line where the LV poster woman/man gently
lobs the expensive prophylactic at you.
I don't support LV. I feel that companies like LV represent mass
consumerism and the glorification of a lifestyle that is inaccessible and what
I deem to be "fake". They represent an elitism that does not speak to
me. So aligning a cause I support (AIDS awareness) with LV (albeit a fake) just
rubbed me the wrong way. Do we really need companies like this to
sensationalize the cause using their labelling tactics? Is a famous fashion
label really the medium we need to use to get people's attention? Yet another
disappointment for me to ponder tonight. Yet another reason some of the focus
and attention of the masses irks me. This all makes me wonder what's next?
Recently I was involved in a workshop with a group of young men where we hoped
to talk about sexism in the media. The conversation led to the argument, "they are making money, what's wrong
with that? You don't need to give in to the messages'" a few times
that evening. So when what I deem worthy causes (yes, my personal opinion -
this blog is showered with it at all times) align with companies that I easily
see as aligning with patriarchal forces (and its branches: sexism, hypersexualization,
gender-specific marketing and labelling...) it depresses me just a little bit.
