Reviews

Back to Black portrayed Amy Winehouse as a very talented but tortured artist, which she was. But this was overshadowed by characterising her as a self-satbotaging alcoholic junkie who was an arrogant, homophobic, hysterical and violent bully. Now, if the above is all or part true why then not include the context of how she became like that?

Amy's father was painted as a loving, all too tolerant and supportive father...almost saintly! The mother hardly gets a look-in, and the parents' relationship is just not discussed. The beloved grandmother and her death seeme to be a trigger for her unravelling. But if she had have had good enough self-esteem and self-love to begin with, she would not have pursued a relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil or any other bad boy for that matter!

I simply don't buy the Back to Black portrait. There's more to Amy's story than good girl gone wrong over a bad boy!

The question is, is fashion art? No it is not, while some fashion is undoubtedly beautiful, rich in motif and symbolism and the result of genius creative imagination, fashion is toxic and art is not! The fashion industry is the third most toxic industry on the planet polluting the earth. Fashion is also responsible for child labour, cheap labour and poor working conditions in developing countries. Not forgetting how fashion influences a negative body image and anorexia and bulimia.

Speaking of toxic, Anna Wintour comes across as arrogant, hyper critical, and extremely undermining of those around her. The devil does indeed wear Prada!

She really does not like to be challenged by anyone as her ego cannot tolerate it. She reduces the critical thinking of others to them not getting it, like they are dumb!

Andrew Bolton argued with Wong Kar-wai, an acclaimed Hong Kong Chinese filmmaker, about placing a statue of Chairman Mao in with a Buddhist display! Bolton couldn't seem to understand how inappropriate, offensive and culturally insensitive this would be!

Baz Luhrmann asks 'how Chineseesy' Wintour wants a display to be!!! Good grief!

And disgraced John Galliano features a lot in the documentry. It was culturally insensitive to have a rabid anti-semtie feature so prominently, and he is not particularly articulate either!

I also question if the big deal they made of Rihanna's performance fee was meant to shame her publicly. A black Barbadian woman at the top of her game in the music, beauty and fashion industries.

If you want to learn how not to be culturally insensitive then watch this documentary, and do the opposite of Wintour, Bolton and Luhrmann!

I am a white Irish man who has taught 'Difference and Diversity' to postgraduate students for over two decades.