MAC & Rodarte Apologize For Their New "Juarez" Inspired Makeup

It was only a matter of time before narcoviolence became hot. MAC, in a partnership with high-fashion brand Rodarte, has created a new line of makeup to be released in September inspired by the Mexican border town of Juarez for which they have already had to apologize. Of course, the tastefulness of giving makeup names like "Factory" and "Ghost Town" alongside a shade of nail polish named "Juarez," after the town so riddled with narcoviolence it's been named the deadliest city in the world two years in a row by Citizen's Council for Public Security, has already been called into question by fashion writers across the blogoverse. Cue the public statements from the two brands who, like, had no idea their edginess could harsh everyone's buzz so vigorously.

M·A·C Cosmetics Statement:

We understand that product names in the M·A·C Rodarte collection have offended some of our consumers and fans. This was never our intent and we are very sorry. We are listening carefully to the comments posted and are grateful to those of you who have brought your concerns to the forefront of our attention. M·A·C will give a portion of the proceeds from the M·A·C Rodarte collection to help those in need in Juarez. We are diligently investigating the best way to do this. Please be assured that we will keep you posted on the details regarding our efforts.

Rodarte Company Statement:

Our makeup collaboration with M·A·C developed from inspirations on a road trip that we took in Texas last year, from El Paso to Marfa. The ethereal nature of this landscape influenced the creative development and desert palette of the collection. We are truly saddened about injustice in Juarez and it is a very important issue to us. The M·A·C collaboration was intended as a celebration of the beauty of the landscape and people in the areas that we traveled.

Marfa, that explains it. Marfa is a desert town in West Texas that, in the past decade, has been taken over by New York art dealers. It's the strangest incidence of, literally, the middle of nowhere being taken over by inhabitants from the center of the universe. No wonder they have no idea what the fuck they're talking about.

Our makeup collaboration with M·A·C developed from inspirations on a road trip that we took in Texas last year, from El Paso to Marfa.

Besides being the scene of constant narcoviolence of late, Ciudad Juarez, located on the border across from El Paso, Texas, has tolerated hideous femicide for about twenty years now with young, female workers at mostly American-owned factories or "maquiladoras" on the Juarez side being brutally mutilated, sexually violated and murdered in droves. (There are reports of over 5,000 women being murdered in 2010 alone.)  These crimes go unsolved because of the low economic status of the women who migrate to Juarez from nearby rural communities looking for a way to help feed their families back home. (The government dropped their investigation into the murders in 2006 stating no federal crimes had been broken.) To name beauty products, which sell primarily to women, "Juarez" and "factory" is some insensitive shit to say the least. No, it's pure evil. You're evil, MAC and Rodarte.

Source: Color Lines