In a series called Mondo Bullshittio, let’s talk about some of the most glaring hypocrisies and faux pas in pop culture… and all that it affects.
The last time Lana Del Rey caused such a controversial sartorial stir (well, apart from that mesh mask misunderstanding), it was at the 2019 Grammy Awards. Showing up on the red carpet in a gown she proudly touted as being “from the mall,” this was her way of downplaying the fact that it was still purchasable from Saks Fifth Avenue for roughly $160, which is a lot for most non-famous people. Highlighting the phrase “from the mall” instead of stating the specific department store indicates that some part of Del Rey, as is the case with most richies, gets off on fetishizing “poorness.” Wanting to be seen as “just like us” or a person who “never lost touch with her roots” (also affluent).
Because most people chose to overlook this psychology, Del Rey’s lack of concern for being conventionally “camera ready” (to borrow a lyric from “13 Beaches”) was heralded as more fodder to call her shit like “humble queen” and “frugal legend.” And yet, when you are at the fame and financial level of Del Rey, there’s a reason people (though fewer and fewer) still expect some evidence of “puttin’ on the ritz.” Capitalism itself dictates that famous people are beholden to make everything they do seem “aspirational.” And since Del Rey and her fellow celeb brethren benefit so much from that system, why not at least go all out with the charade that any of the rest of us can ever ascend to those heights?
Alas, more and more, there’s no commitment to “being a star” (try to imagine this said in a Norma Desmond intonation). To the privilege of what that once entailed by giving the “little people” a touch of glamor at events of a red carpet nature. And sure, the Variety Hitmakers Awards was a brunch–a word that evokes a more casual implication–but Del Rey took that liberty a bit far when she rolled up looking like she just got railed in a motel somewhere between Tarzana and Hollywood. Admittedly, this is the girl who has always prided herself on a motel fetish with songs like “Trash Magic” (“Boy, you wanna come to my motel, honey?”), but that was in her more rough-hewn Lizzy Grant days. While some fans have speculated that the entire “look”–if it can be called that–was an homage to that era because she was receiving the Artist of the Decade Award, if anything, she should have instead paid respect to her 2012 sense of glamor, back when she bothered to put her “hair up real big, beauty queen style.”
To make matters worse, Del Rey wasn’t even flirting with the $160 price tag anymore to indicate she hadn’t totally gone to the dark side of fast fashion. And while the dress, a barely-there piece of fabric loosely held together by some string (still, it had nothing on Dua Lipa’s summer bikini), was not necessarily from Shein (lest people make the same mistake in assuming Del Rey’s face mask from a 2020 book signing was solely made of mesh), it looked very similar to an $18 number the website is selling right now. And considering how well-known they are for stealing other people’s designs, that’s really no surprise.
Of course, what they (and pretty much any fast fashion retailer) are also known for is extreme exploitation of both humans and the environment alike. Just as all corporations trying to rebrand as “green,” Shein has been quick to assert their image as being “eco-friendly” so that gringas like Del Rey can still feel good about buying the China-made fare. But with such a large carbon footprint required alone just to deliver the cargo so rapidly by plane, Shein is already a huge bane to Mother Nature. Nonetheless, Shein tried their hand at a meaningless #SHEINcares hashtag, despite obviously not disclosing anything transparent about how their supply chain works–because that would mean shining a light on the depth of exploitation involved to get people like Lana Del Rey their cheap-looking ensembles.
Even Madonna’s daughter, Lourdes Leon, has spoken out vehemently in the past about the unethical practices behind fast fashion, yet felt obliged to come to Del Rey’s defense as she posted, “She literally can wear anything and it won’t affect her. If she wanted to have a career in high fashion and go to shows everyone would still have her and gag because she’s Lana, that’s the power of becoming oneself, people follow you.” And that’s exactly the problem–Del Rey is merely contributing to everyone’s “okayness” with fast fashion, even in settings once expressly reserved for actually putting more effort in than slapping on a polyester ditty. To boot, this isn’t solely about critiquing her lack of polish anymore at these types of events. It’s about the fact that she has the means to actually be ethical, so why not use it toward non-exploitative fashion (yes, it seems like an oxymoron) instead of encouraging people to “shop her look”? And even if she comes out later and claims the dress was actually “custom-made,” she’s doing nothing to debunk the myth that has since caused the $18 Shein dress that looks like hers to sell out quicker than Del Rey could say yes to an advertising deal with H&M in 2012. A fast fashion behemoth that now looks positively saintly next to Shein.
As for the defense about Del Rey not needing to “conform” to any “standards,” some would say, as Lana herself once did, that she’s “just a simple singer-songwriter” and shouldn’t have to be bothered with things like “haute couture.” Neither should writers or visual artists have to be bothered with marketing their own shit because it’s expected as a built-in skill that’s part and parcel of such professions now. But that’s just the world, innit? And since Del Rey once asked, “Am I glamorous? Tell me, am I glamorous?” The answer here is a resounding no.
