La Redoute's mail shot "Uptown Tribal: So ethnic, so tribal, so you!"

[onebatmother]

In the spirit of genuine enquiry, I would like to know if it is only I who finds this, erm, questionable?

Quite prepared for answers that say 'you are reading too much into this and are therefore racist yourself.'

But I'd like to know if anyone else finds it exploitative and demeaning and ... well, all those other things.

I think it's the 'uptown' bit that I find so gross. The assumption that 'uptown' (read 'civilized') and 'tribal' (read 'savage') is an amusing juxtaposition.

The email continues: "Love ethnic style but want it to dance to a different beat? As Eastern and Western tribal influences infuse, something truly wild is happening. African tie dye, Indian prints and Aztec embroidery take on a sassy new attitude. United we stand!"

Mmmmmm I do think you're reading too much into it to be honest, not that that makes you racist.

I would just have read "uptown" as "urban/city" and "tribal" as a term to denote a style of clothing that I imagine to contain items of dubious style - often in khaki, brown, orange, purple with swirly patterns.

But maybe I'm not offended enough and it will be me people brand as racist.

You are being very uptight Onebat.
It is utter wank, yes,but not racist.

yes it is just crap isn't it
however Vertbaudet their sister company had a really dubious toy last year with stereotyped people from around the world on it
not quite bone through the nose type pictures, but not far off

sorry... dd woke, and last night I was - amazingly - Out Having A Social Life!

Hmm. I dunno. Those who say it's marketing are right, of course.

Where I live in E London, I've heard the word 'ethnic' used as a noun by (probably) racists several times. Perhaps that's made me oversensitive.

But the whole thing still sounds 1930's colonialist to me.

Though actually, re-reading, I think it might be a poor translation from French, which would certainly explain its particular wankery..