If my eyes can taste, these images leave with me a flavor that’s one for an up chuck!
Both bilious are Stylebible.ph‘s photo of the S & M tinged number taken at a sexually amped-up “fashion” show of a leading garment brand and the viral shirt photo posted by a writer as it was being sold, of all places, at the Teen Boy’s department of a mall empire’s branch. I was among the many who was revolted upon seeing both at my social media feeds.
The issues at hand are not just offensive to the feminine of the gender but an augury to Philippine society that is being conditioned to:
| SUPPORT INDEPENDENT SOCIAL COMMENTARY! Subscribe to our Substack community GRP Insider to receive by email our in-depth free weekly newsletter. Opt into a paid subscription and you'll get premium insider briefs and insights from us. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter, GRP Insider! Learn more |
- CONDONE THE RELEGATION OF WOMEN.
- ACCEPT RAPE, REGARDLESS OF GENDER, AS A NORMALCY and worse, ASSOCIATE THE CRIME TO AFFECTION.
Beyond the gender sensitive issues raised, we have here TWO BUSINESS GIANTS that promoted, not only the aforementioned but, the glaring APATHY that they so brazenly capitalized on!
Surely, both the shirt and the on-stage “Master & Servant” role play went through CONCEPTUALIZATION before it hit PRODUCTION! Yet NONE, from The Mall’s consignor to the Purchasing department or from the Fashion show’s writer to the Director saw ANYTHING OFFENSIVE! Their apathy was met with fury, online! It only took around 24 hours before a band aid solution from the big retail brands was made.
A TEMPLATE INVESTIGATION and APOLOGY from the two retail giants was the response to silence the online castigation. I’ll push my imagination to include the axing of The Mall’s underpaid purchasing staff or the reprimand of the fashion show’s writer and director. Another “I AM SORRY.” is made and all is well in La-la land once more.
In a gadget-crazed selfie society that puts more premium to fame whoring and the superficial rather than to empathy and sustainable stability, I guess a product or photo pull-out complemented with a pathetic “Sorry” will do and as sure as the sun rises tomorrow, all will be forgotten in a week from now. It’s going to be Pay day again and these business giants will again entice on another salary siphoning mall sale!
The economy is doing oh-so-goood, right?
The shirt and the “Master and Slave” role play is so yesterday’s news.
Or is it really?
Unfortunately, the issue and its implications is a microcosm of a country that has been CONDITIONED by a dysfunctional system, has RELEGATED its people to automatons and is RAPED by a government that has failed to deliver yet is being tolerated by its delusional patrons who deny the existence of the ubiquitous traffic congestion, inefficient mass transportation, impotent law enforcement, a price-tagged judicial system, feudal politicians, profit-rabid businessmen and let us not forget the most vile – the apathetic and/or ignorant majority who empowers the whole lot!
The “Master and Servant” role play is no longer an act but a RAPE CONDONED, PAID BY THE MAJORITY and is SUBJECTED to EVERYDAY!
“PH Society, be my Bitch!” says They!
And the willing victims bend over unfortunately, even those who aren’t playing along get effed.
Mike is the author of “Minsan may Isang Puta”, an allegory which has been circulating since 2004 and with over 50,000 likes and shares in social media alone. It won a film grant in 2010 to be included in the multi-narrative Indie film “Ganap na Babae” (International title: Garden of Eve). The teaser, reviews and commentaries are here. The movie was honored as Cinemalaya 2010’s opening film and has won international and local recognition.
The royalties from the initial 150 copies of Mike’s first sole-authored book, The Dove Files, went to a Project Malasakit scholar who graduated Cum Laude in April 2013, the rest was also paid forward to baby Mark who underwent a liver transplant in March 2013.
Part of the royalties of the “Minsan may Isang Puta” book at Barnes and Noble Online goes to support the education of a young Yolanda survivor taking up B.S. Accounting at U.P. Tacloban.
Thank you for this article!
“Unfortunately, the issue and its implications is a microcosm of a country that has been CONDITIONED by a dysfunctional system…”
As a passionate fan of the arts, these are the times that I do not feel at home here in the Philippines. Nobody wants a serious discussion about fashion here. When you try to engage them, they’ll say “move on” or something to that effect. I guess that Bench show was a reflection of what fashion means to people here. Thoughtless. Crass. Devoid of design. Thanks for nothing, Bench.
BTW, next time don’t say it is a fashion show. Say that it’s a peep show or a strip show so that we’re clear. Be honest.
It’s a pleasure, potaters and I strongly share your sentiments on such a sorry excuse for a “fashion show”. I would have cut Bench the slack for the lack of clothing, it’s an underwear collection anyway but the Master and servant number was just plain abuse of artistic freedom, for there was no artistry to begin with.
I strike the show for its absence of class and fashion. Sex, instead of sexy, was the hard sell product of the night.
Some people would argue that this is all very harmless… but if you think about it, is it really? Doesn’t it destroy the very concept of art and fashion? Because fashion isn’t all about titties and butts. I’ve been an avid fan of Project Runway and I get really inspired at how they create their designs and then follow through with the actual clothing.
It’s just looking bleak. There’s no inspiration.
Fashion and Culture is interrelated. To be chic in Paris, Rome or Milan means that you are of a trendsetter, an egalitarian who view fashion as a statement of celebrating freedom from cultural repression, a self-made persona who embodies success and confidence. To be fashionable (not chic) in the Philippines means you are a part of the bandwagon, devoid of personal confidence and short of achievements, a serf of the crass and thoughtless which permeates the culture of failure.
Me and potaters share the same thoughts. Most Filipinos have poor taste when it comes to the arts and what “fashion” should be like. Bench could have been the #1 trusted Filipino clothing brand if the company didn’t crossed the line of distinguishing CLASS from CRASS. The Naked Truth was a showcase of leading people, mostly loyal Bench consumers, to mediocrity in appreciating style and artistry. It was nothing but an immature move for the organizers’ part. Is this what FASHION is all about in our country? Even Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld may shake their heads when they found this out.
As for the SM’s “rape” t-shirt issue, it’s clearly an insult not just for feminists, men who are supporting feminists and anti-rape culture advocates but also among the many women and children who were raped and sexually-abused. For a company that promotes “family values” (hence the showing of R18 films in their theatrical houses aren’t allowed), this was a ridiculous move.
If there’s one thing that we need to forget about all these issues, that would be Jake Cuenca’s butt. And I’m not kidding.
Pity how artistry and respect aren’t given much premium in this retail oriented society of ours.
I think a lot of Filipinos don’t even read what’s on clothing before they snap it up. At least I hope that’s the case for the guy I recently saw out with his kids in an unambiguously Nazi ‘White Power’ swastika shirt. Hopefully he thought it was a Power Rangers reference or something…
I also once had to ask a Jewish Filipina why she was wearing a T-shirt with a Jesus slogan on it, which she quickly discarded in shock. She’d never noticed.
Where have you been? Objectification of women is one of the hall marks of hip-hop culture that has been widely popular for the last 25 years. Many of the athletes and musicians have been embroiled in domestic violence, drugs, assault, and even murder. Young people can’t seem to get enough of this garbage. Why? well, young males are very insecure and want to be seen as menacing and powerful to others. I guess that is why thuggery is so popular.
Sexual immoralities in guise of art. Nowadays, our society was deceived by the Devil, the Devil shows it is art yet the truth it is a plain promotion of sexual abuses and homosexual offenders.
A part of our culture is indeed dysfunctional. Selling fashion under the mantle of “for arts sake“ is a cheap shot. Look, the tee shirts subliminal meaning is glamourizing of “Rape“, a form of violence. And, the fashion show – The Naked Truth shows women are still reduced to mere commodities. Another form of violence against woman‘s dignity. Sell shirts, sell underwears, no problem. But to promote rape, and make women as pets, in my opinion, cross the line. It is wrong, disgusting and an insult to women and arts.
Just one of the many hypocrisies this “Catholic” country has to offer. If I were to get angry at every single contradiction and double standard Filipinos do, I’d suffer an aneurysm.
Boycott Bench or any Fashion houses that condone this type of subliminal or blatant messages of Sexism and Degradation of Human and abuse to animals.
There is Art and there is neglect of social responsibility!
I don’t think our Catholicism is the cause of this behavior. It’s just the way Filipinos are wired, I think. And that’s very very sad. They’re very literal. They cannot be abstract. I don’t think boycotting Bench will help. People are still gonna buy from them since they are brilliant in marketing their clothing/wares to the Filipino public.
I just wonder if they asked their foreign endorsers like Joe Jonas, Lucy Hale, Adam Levine, Taylor Lautner or Bruno Mars to join the Naked Poop, would they agree? Especially if the concept were discussed beforehand? I bet not. You’d have to wonder what they were thinking when they were in the meeting discussing this event. “Hey you know what would be great? Men grabbing their crotches and a woman being tied like a dog to her master. So edgy!”
I just discarded my pair of Bench jeans and shirts. Never again will I buy Bench brands.
“…I guess a product or photo pull-out complemented with a pathetic “Sorry” will do and as sure as the sun rises tomorrow, all will be forgotten in a week from now. It’s going to be Pay day again and these business giants will again entice on another salary siphoning mall sale!”
Not with people who know what commitment means. People may stop talking about it but it doesn’t mean they will still buy BENCH products. But, yes, surely Ben Chan’s big head is not at all anxious that their sales will be deep in the red. A man without dignity believes that those around him don’t have it, too. BENCH may soon have big SALES, luxurious promos and give always to prove that PH society is indeed their bitch that will heel for something low.
*giveaways