Jeremy Scott Transformed Gigi Hadid Into an “Illegal Alien” and People Don’t Like It
Designer Jeremy Scott is facing major criticism after sharing Moschino’s newest ad campaign, “Alien Nation” on social media, which was reportedly inspired by the U.S’s harsh immigration policies.
Supermodels Gigi Hadid and Kaia Gerber star as “illegal aliens” in the campaign, with each of them posting BTS photos from the set to their personal Instagram stories, but it was Scott’s now-deleted Twitter caption, which read “The only thing illegal about this alien is how good she looks,” that lead to accusations that Scott was exploiting the current migration crisis in America.
After drawing an intense amount of social media criticism, Scott edited his caption, explaining that he was trying to make a political statement about Trump’s immigrant detention centres and America’s societal fear of illegal aliens.
“What is an alien? The concept of my ad campaign is to bring attention to the U.S. Administration’s harsh stance towards ‘illegal aliens’,” he wrote. “I painted the models in my show and this campaign as a way to open a discussion on what exactly an ‘alien’ is- are they orange, blue, yellow, green? Does this matter? They are our friends, neighbors, coworkers, relatives, and people we love.”
While that explanation satisfied some critics, others weren’t so quick to forgive. One Instagram user wrote: “Changing the caption doesn’t change the fact this whole campaign just brings you profit. You want to start a discussion? Stop painting the same models blue and calling it revolutionary. Actually change the fashion game by hiring models that need to be represented. Get out in the street and do something worthwhile. Until then, you’re just another white man making money off the suffering of real people”, with others chiming in on how “ignorant and tone deaf” it was in the midst of a massive immigration crisis.
Back in February, Scott debuted his Fall 2018 collection during Milan Fashion Week, where models strutted down the runway in body paint that matched the ‘alien’ theme shown in his recent ad campaigns. The designer was inspired by the JFK/Marilyn Monroe alien conspiracy theory, which is why the collection featured sixties Jackie O inspired looks like pillbox hats and flipped bobs.
Scott’s controversial caption makes it the second time in less than a week that fashion has been aligned with what’s happening at the U.S. border. Just last Thursday, First Lady Melania Trump wore a Zara jacket with the words “I DON’T REALLY CARE, DO YOU?” while boarding a flight to visit children in an immigration detention centre.
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