Jameela Jamil and Cara Delevingne Discuss Karl Lagerfeld's Legacy – Quartzy



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In the sense that he deserved praise and contempt several times, Karl Lagerfeld was what people might call problematic.

For more than 50 years, until his death yesterday (February 19), he was one of the leading creators of fashion, a seemingly limitless source of creativity, energy, and sheer love for his work, not to mention a trained fashion designer making exquisite fantasies from fabric. Beyond that, many of those who worked with him found him kind, considerate, generous and funny. For these qualities, it has been widely commemorated by people from the industry and many people beyond.

It could also be devious, dismissive, even cruel, especially towards women. When Brigitte magazine announced that it would begin to use "ordinary and realistic" women in its photo shoots, Mr. Lagerfeld said "no one wants to see round women" and that he "s only going to see them. was acting "big moms sitting with their bags of chips in front of the television". who objected to the slim models. Claiming to be Coco Chanel, he once said, "I have never been a feminist, I have never been ugly enough for that. Lagerfeld chuckled: "If you do not want your pants to be stitched, do not become a model!" There are many other examples, sometimes targeting male models or immigrants seeking refuge in Germany. For that, we also remember him right now.

The two points of view of the designer are currently disputed on social media. Sure Twitter yesterdayActress and model Cara Delevingne, who has appeared at several Chanel shows and knew Lagerfeld, wrote: "He is a visionary, a genius, but more than that …. a dear friend. Outside of fashion, he was one of the most interesting and caring men I've ever met.

AT at about the same timeActress Jameela Jamil, who spoke out against women who shame the body, tweeted, "A ruthless and phobic misogynist should not be posted anywhere on the Internet as a saint gone too soon." Injured by Jamil and Delevingne in a civil exchange that highlighted the complexity of how one should or should not cry the so-called problem people.

Of course, there is no way to calculate the net good or injury caused to a person in a balance sheet. (There is The right place, the series in which Jamil plays, but humans do not have access to this accounting.) What we feel about a person often depends on how they personally affected us. For Delevingne and other people who knew Lagerfeld personally, this relationship was positive.

But the situation is more complicated when we talk about public figures who could have an influence on people they have never met. Lagerfeld's comments have contributed to an unhealthy idea of ​​how women should look and expect to be treated. The models, including possibly those with whom he worked, could be harmed by these paradigms. The luxury giants LVMH and Kering found them sufficiently damaging to associate in 2017 with a charter banning models of a certain size, requiring certificates from agencies confirming that the models were healthy and demanding that the models are treated professionally and setting standards. for situations such as shoots involving nudity. (LVMH, it should be noted, is the owner of Fendi, the brand that Lagerfeld has creatively overseen for more than 50 years, which means he was even bound by the rules of this charter.)

Lagerfeld has touched different people in different ways, which also means that both points of view could be correct. Reflecting on the dead is not always about looking objectively at the life of the lost person. It may be the bereaved person who soothes the pain felt after death, which makes it understandable that they focus on the good. But it can also be an honest accounting of a person's life. In this case, it is necessary to remember both.

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