By Kim Stagliano
I want to publicly thank the people at Sephora for acting quickly and pulling a Kat Von D. lipstick whose name was offensive to many of us.
Kat Von D. is an LA personality known for her extensive tattooing. You can read her bio here. I can not read her bio there. I am 49 and the font is about size 2 on her site. The lipstick name was Celebutard, which is a real word and is a hybrid of celebrity and retard. Of course the retard part is intended to imply stupid, impaired, disabled. It's a slur. It's cousin is Debutard, sometimes used to describe/insult trust fund babies like Paris Hilton.
I wrote a Huffington Post piece "Are You High on Tattoo Ink?" that caught some attention while expressing my dismay that Sephora hadn't realized how ugly this name was for a beauty product. Other people also wrote about the poorly named lipstick.
Check out this Tweet exchange from Kat Von D. in which she missed the point of the critique. The woman she was Tweeting with (I blocked her name for privacy) and I had a nice exchange today - she realized why many advocates were offended and changed her mind. That's cool. We can all learn and grow. And I hope Miss Von D. also learns and grows from the experience.
Words hurt as much as tattoo needles. And the effects can be as permanent.
Sephora pulled the product from their shelves. They reacted swiftly and, I think, appropriately.
My kids watch Christmas movies year round. One of their favorites is Santa Claus is Comin' To Town. I love the scene when Kris Kringle asks for help from the Winter Warlock, who is supposed to be the meanest, coldest dude in the forest. The Warlock tries to help Kris get the toys to the kids - but fears he has limited powers. After all, he only has a candle stick stub and a few pieces of magic corn. But that corn makes reindeer fly (and that leads us to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, which we also watch 12 months a year.)
I'm proud that I was able use my few pieces of magic corn, my really limited powers, to do something positive for a whole lot of people.
28 comments:
I guess I'm a "couch potato activist" because I stand up for not only my child but thousands of others who don't appreciate the word "tard" used in any form. So be it you little bitch (the girls name you blocked out), but I've done more with my life to help others than you can even think of. At least I STAND for something. At least I try my best to make a difference in the lives of others. Sephora may have removed the lipstick but Kat Von D is still not mature enough to know WHY.
Kat Hepatitis C is vile so what she did here is not shocking. What is shocking is how scums like this become famous.
Please excuse my profanity, but WHAT A DUMB BI*!H!!!!F'in idiot, it's just lipstick!!! WOW!!! You should put this on the news!!!! What a f'in dumbass!! Thank you KIM!!!
You are my hero Kim!!! Keep up the great work!
Annie T.
Sephora got caught. They did what they did and they can't take that back. It's good that it's gone now but they only pulled it because they were made aware that it made them look bad. They tried to look good after getting called out. It's so hard for me to get my head around them letting it get to market without anyone there seeing it as offensive. Is everyone there that shallow?
Retard is a verb, meaning to slow something, like retarding your ignition timing. One whose mental abilities or learning ability is retarded needs for all the rest of us to speak up for them. Use of any form of the word for fun is so obviously insulting and demeaning, you wouldn't think they would need to be told. But then, not only that, but the dumbass fights it!
Kim, I would like to commend you on a job well done and for standing up for the rights of children with Autism and developmental disabilities. Our children do get bullied and abused more than the average by their peers and the public, and its about time they really get called out on their obnoxious disregard for our feelings as parents and caregivers, and also as consumers. Yes, many Autism moms do still shop at Sephora. Furthermore, I take it as a insult to our children to combine the two words, knowing that most of our kids do have more on the ball than the average celebrity. Kudos Kim!
Some of these names you guys are calling her are worse than the lipstick name smh
It is just a lipstick...everyone is entitled to their own point of view about this situation. What baffles me is the fact that you wrote that rude article about Kat Von D. Considering autistic children are bullied on a daily basis, here you are writing an article where you are belittling someone and practically bullying them!?. Practice what you preach.
Too much time on your hands lol
Wow! You're just completely negative. I'd have to agree with Jay up there...
Censorship?
REALLY!?!
What kind of author are you?
You should be ashamed of yourself.
The lipstick refers to celebrities that have no talent. It has nothing to do with people that have mental disabilities. Get your facts straight, Kim. Maybe looking something up every once in a while before writing your blogs will help. And wow, so many people fell for this. I'm not a supporter of Kat Von D or Kim, but I do know that Kim is wrong.
Liz and Jay are as pathetic as the hideous Von D.
Someone needs drama in their life to feel important...
You are a special kind of @$$hole. You've spent way too long building an imaginary pedestal of self-proclaimed awesomeness. When no one... really... knows your name unless you create drama. Your parents would be proud...
Shut up and tell yourself that you're awesome quietly... and silently...
Someone needs drama in their life to feel important...
You are a special kind of @$$hole. You've spent way too long building an imaginary pedestal of self-proclaimed awesomeness. When no one... really... knows your name unless you create drama. Your parents would be proud...
Shut up and tell yourself that you're awesome quietly... and silently...
Hey Kim,
You cry out in anger and disgust because of your perception of the "retard" reference but then in the same breath you infer she is "high" on tatoo ink?? Ok, Miss Pot Calling The Kettle Black.
Your words have no substance because you are the person you are accusing others of being... A Bloggertard.
K
I was not a fan of Kat Von D before this little drama got started but I am now. It sickens me to know that I have to thank a worthless b***ch like you for anything but there you have it. Thank you. I'm disappointed in Sephora for caving to your pointless demand.
When I posted on the Kat Von D and Sephora Facebook pages that there are better things in this world to get upset about my Facebook page was bombarded by mothers of special needs children. Quite a few of your followers have proven that they have nothing better to do than troll Facebook pages of complete strangers. I am also not the only fan this happened to. I've had to shut down my Facebook page because of bullying from mothers of special needs children.
What you and the rest of the mommy crowd seem to forget is that everyone has freedom of speech. That freedom of speech applies to everyone. Not just you. Freedom of speech applies even when you don't like what someone has to say.
I know you and the rest of the mommy crowd like to think you've accomplished something but you really haven't. All you've done is bully people who have never hurt you, or your children, in any way, shape, or form. My perfectly appropriate remarks were posted on a public Facebook page and the mommy crowd decided to send me harassing and threatening messages because of them. That doesn't accomplish anything. All you've done in this instance is prove that parenting special needs children isn't too difficult if their mommies have time to harass and threaten random strangers on the internet. You've also proven who the bullies are in this world. Keep patting yourselves on the back. You've harassed and threatened complete strangers and bullied a corporation. If you think that's something to be proud of I almost feel sorry for you.
Just one more thing. You really want to research Mother Theresa before you imply that she was a decent person. There are very good reasons she's referred to as the Ghoul of Calcutta.
Hey Kim, the fact that you put Mother Theresa in the title of your memoir tells me all I need to know about your lack of intelligence and investigative journalism.
Kim you are discrace to the journalism ,poor illiterate blogger ;) by the way bitter momma do some research before writing anything or jumping into any conclusion...no don't even do the research ...you won't get the point anyway as you are lacking of intelligence majorly...
Kind regards
A.D.
Kim, nice work!
Jane D. I find it amusing/ironic that you were on facebook on a make up website telling people that they should spend their time more wisely. Now you've found the time to post two more comments on here. That's rich. Maybe next time use a little situational awareness. Do you not have more noble causes to work on or a better way to spend YOUR time? I'm sure you think advocates should spend there time doing something much more important than standing up to ignorant companies and people that are willing to degrade a portion of the population.
your a fucking idiot. you need to spend more time with your family and the things that are important instead of worrying about what a celebrity names their lipstick. Attention seeking much?
Kim who? Who are you? Anyways....I bought the lipstick before it got pulled, but I haven't used it....Guess what's going on Ebay?! Thanks for getting the item pulled so I can sell it for twice the price since its no longer available :) appreciate it much!
To the anon's, Jane, Murray and all the others who think the lipstick and the name calling was just fine. You are fucking scumbags and I hope someday you have to deal with a severe disability or illness and someone makes light of your issue. Fucking losers. Nothing but bad wishes to you all you zeros.
Did yu know smell of oxytocin can help fight the severity of autism?
wow real mature for a 49 year old. I bet you feel real proud of yourself. You are distasteful....you are a Howard Stern fan for God's sake and the name of her lipstick offends you? You are so stupid - Howard Stern has skanks on his show doing filth. perhaps you should worry about what goes on in your own house instead of worrying about lipstick names.
;) PS: You REALLY could use a makeover....just saying.
Makes me curious how you are so against this lipstick name yet you worship Howard Stern who routinely uses the term "retard" when describing some people he knows. Hypocrisy. Digusting. I guess you pick and choose who can degrade people with disabilities??
Is that you lurking Nicole. "Leave my family alone!" Ring a bell. Ciao.
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