MAC Rodarte: Changing Product Names & $100K Donation
Monday, July 19th, 2010
MAC Cosmetics for Rodarte Collection for Fall 2010
For the original discussion and debate (which is still on-going), as well as collection details, please visit our original post on MAC Rodarte. We will continue to update you when we have more information. We also continue to ask our readers and visitors to maintain our community standards of respect towards each other in their comments.
This afternoon, MAC responded to our request for any updates, and we were able to receive the following:
STATEMENT FROM M·A·C COSMETICS ON THE M·A·C RODARTE COLLECTION
We understand that product names in the M·A·C Rodarte collection have offended our consumers and fans. This was never our intent and we are very sorry. We continue to listen carefully to the comments we have received and have the following plans to address concerns:
- We are committed to donating $100,000 to a non-profit organization that has a proven, successful track-record helping women in need and that can directly improve the lives of women in Juarez in a meaningful way.
- We are changing the product names in the M·A·C Rodarte collection.
As we have done in the past, please be assured that we will communicate details regarding our progress in this matter.
STATEMENT FROM RODARTE ON THE M·A·C RODARTE COLLECTION
We recognize that the violence against women taking place in Juarez needs to be met with proactive action. We never intended to make light of this serious issue and we are truly sorry.
Helping to improve the conditions for women in Juarez is a priority for us and we are thankful for all the comments calling attention to the urgency of addressing this situation.
Will you be purchasing from the MAC Rodarte collection?
- Yes, I planned to before! (33%, 1,440 Votes)
- No, I won't. (32%, 1,361 Votes)
- No, but I didn't plan to before (e.g. not my colors). (20%, 869 Votes)
- Yes, now I will! (13%, 580 Votes)
- Other - I'll tell you in the comments! (2%, 69 Votes)
Total Voters: 4,319
For MAC and Rodarte’s original statements…
Temptalia has reached out to MAC for comment on the collaboration with Rodarte, and if and when we receive more information, we will be certain to share with you. We received official statements from MAC and Rodarte @ 11AM (pst) on July 16th, 2010, which we share below:
STATEMENT FROM M·A·C COSMETICS ON THE M·A·C RODARTE COLLECTION
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.
STATEMENT FROM RODARTE ON THE M·A·C AND RODARTE COLLECTION
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.
Please remember to respect your fellow Temptalia readers. I do not tolerate name calling or insults. Debate and discuss with intelligence and passion but leave out jibes, digs, or other personal attacks. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if you may disagree with it or find it “stupid.” We want to facilitate the discussion and keep it focused on the issues, not to foster attacks on other readers.
Please be mature and respect people’s right to express and hold an opinion that is different than yours.
o...mi.....gosh. no comment
hey christine i have a queation: is it true that MAC doesn't launch the rodarte collection???
Yes.
Hi Christine! Can you tell me if this collection is still going to launch and what date they are launching in the US? Also, will this be in MAC stores only or online too? Thanks for all your hard work & information!
They are not launching this collection at all.
i know that there's been a lot of talk about this.. but honestly, i'm only looking at the product, not the meaning behind it. i'm not trying to say i don't care or anything though. i'm glad that mac has decided to donate. i actually blame the rodarte sisters more than anything else for even being inspired by juarez.
I am happy that MAC made an apology and fixed the collection but I refuse to spend a penny on any product from this collection. I wish that more people would take a stand and force MAC to take a closer look at what they deem appropriate. A collection doesn't get released as soon as an idea pop's into somebody's head - it has to go through hundreds of hands before it reaches the public - this concern had to have been brought up before and they chose to ignore it. I will not spend my money on products that I do not believe in. There is nothing MAC can do to change my mind about the collection - they should have just taken it off the market.
It's like "a rose by any other name" doesn't matter that they changed the names. The deed was done. I do however like that they responded by seeking to correct themselves, and I like that they will continue to provide funding. Lord knows the massacres are horrific and the negligence of the Mexican police is inexcusable. Just a thought, did this controversy actually bring about greater awareness about the murders in Juarez?
Hey! Sorry but I am kinda lost. The reason for finding this collection offensive is a product being name Juarez? Please keep in mind I am not being critical about it is just a mere question! Thank you
Maybe MAC should release a line of HOLOCAUST inspired makeup. Let's see what kind of reaction they would get from the public.
That's exactly right. They should do a line that brings awarness to the tragedy or go the Rodarte way and name their products "gas chaimber" ,"we love hitler", and maybe"death". There is a right way and a wrong way to go about things. Also, this post was created specifically for people to voice their views on it so why do some get offended that we all do just that? And also, just because we comment on this blog does not mean we did not donate ourselves, where did tyhis come from? When you are a big company that claims to be all into charity you are responsible for what your creative department puts out as products, themes and names. Why did this had to go this fare for someone at MAC to notice the mistake, I just can't understand. Someone should have been paying attention to this in the breginning and sad" gee, this is not a good idea".
You know. A lot of you keep this going and going, but what is it really you are doing to help the cause in Juarez? Yapping about it on a make-up board and attacking one another isn't the way it works. The problem isn't giving money to this cause, but write to the government, law enforement, do something. When the Holicaust happened no one cared or gave money to those who suffered. People were burned alive, starves, tortured, children were used for medical purposes without any kind of anesthesia, they were taken from their parents, tortured, starved, burned alive as well. There is no comparison between the two. The Holicaust was done because of someone's religious beliefs. Both are horrible. It is happening all over the world still not just in Juarez. Stop whining and start doing something. Start a public campaign on facebook. Get signatures. Just stop with all the nonsense on a cosmetic board already. It's getting redundant. Plus a lot of you aren't reading. MAC is a GREAT company. Just the fact that they are giving money towards this cause (which they don't have to) and are changing the names says a lot.
its all about the all mighty dollar for mac, giving money dosent make up for what they did.
Mac: Huge mistake!!!! But I hope they make sure that the money they are going to donate goes to the victims and not to the corruption!!! Things happen for a reason!!! We learn from mistakes and some people need help,the situation in Juarez has affected so many families and this will not resolve the problem but any help they can get I think is more than welcome!!!
i will not buy anything from this colection and mac thinks that with 100k or 200k is gonna bring back those girls or make them feel better are u kidding me mac makes more money than that in a day. and people who thinks that money makes everything better well it doesnt. is like a big slap in your face. thinking that all mexicans will be happy with a little hand out?
i feel like i should buy something, as after all mac is donating so much money to teh cause, but out of principle i really wouldnt normally, i can see boxes and boxes of these ending up in CCOs for time to come...
The irony is, somewhere in the world there are MAC employees who managed to get their hands on the prototype products, and they will probably sell them for a ridiculous price on eBay...all MAC is really doing by acting upon the complaints is creating a frenzy for the products with the original names. This really makes me question MAC and their process in developing their collections. I'm pretty stunned with several of these names. Not only are they tacky and offensive, but I find them uninspiring for someone who loves makeup. I mean, sometimes people buy products just for the name. "Bordertown" doesn't make me want to buy. If they wanted to shed a light on the violence in Juarez, having a special product named "Juarez" (with proceeds benefiting a related charity, like they do with Viva Glam) would have been a better idea.
Has anybody looked at this collection as a way to bring awareness? Not everything has to be looked at in a negative light.
In a way, this has done something positive, besides the donation. There are very many people who are NOT socially conscious and were unaware of the violence going on in the world around us. Had it not been for being curious about what the fuss was with MAC/Rodarte, they'd still be in the dark regarding this issue. Now they know, and the more people that know, the more people that can get involved and make a difference.
I didn't really care about the names to begin with. I think it's admirable that MAC decided to change them because people got upset, but I think it's just makeup. Don't look into it. It's completely superficial.
Hi, this might sound naive, but whats the issue going on currenttly? i'm stil pretty young and not familar with what is going on with this controversey. can someone explain why this collection was "offensive"? I am not familiar with any of the terms. thank you
I seem to left some links out :( if you go to this site and on the right click on grups we support link you can find more info about organizations that are also a good option for donations or to find out how else you can help http://www.amigosdemujeres.org/ and here you can find some of the corporations that have maquiladoras in Juarez http://www.amnestyusa.org/askamnesty/women_juarez200402_3.html http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=1528
These are great links.Thanks for putting them out there. What concerns me is that Casa Amiga is only in Spanish.I understand Spanish perfectly, but obviously not everyone does.Im going to contact them and ask if they need help translating their messages. Once again thanks for the links.
I'm from the state of Chihuahua where Juarez is located, my issue with this collection is not the names of the products but with tha attempt by M-A-C to use this horrible tragedy to profit, which is the reason why all of this is happening to begin with... the desire to profit by unscrupulous companies that stop at nothing to make an extra penny with out any regard for their fellow human beeing... To truly understand what is happening in Juarez this is a good site to visit http://womenofjuarez.egenerica.com/content/view/31/29/ If you want to donate to an organization that is truly doing something to help on this issue and is close to the victims families http://www.casa-amiga.org.mx/ I'm not asociated with them but is a well known, respected organization that is corruption free (a hard thing to find in Juarez)
I love reading blogs and have much admiration for many bloggers out there and think they get a rough deal as being taken as ‘serious’. I think bloggers should be taken as serious contributors. But I have to have my two cent worth in this debate about the new MAC Rodarte collection. I respect that we all have different views but I actually do believe that this debate has missed a bigger issue. From a marketing view I understand that MAC/Rodarte have had to act to appease the potential PR disaster by the negative reviews by realising statements and donations etc. I take the seriousness of what happens in places like Juarez and to the women and children as horrific. This goes without saying. But, I think that the idea that there was ‘negligence‘, ‘a company just trying to be edgy and missing the point’ is a little easy to be critical especially online these days. The constant ‘OMG how cold they be so reckless…’ implies that Rodarte and MAC did this on purpose. Regardless what you think of MAC products this company donate a load of money and awareness to AIDS charities and before it was cool to do so. I think beauty is the eye of the beholder, there are places in our world that are full of contrast including places that are full of beauty and where bad things happen too. I am sure that the Rodarte sisters saw many beautiful places on their road trip. I found the images of the models quite ‘ethereal’. I think that the Rodarte sisters and MAC are being unfairly treated here. I think the names have offended people but not intentional, the company are trying to fix the problem/blunder/insensitivity whatever you want to call it. I personally don’t feel offended by the names but I am upset that there is a horrible situation in a place like Juarez. I ask the beauty community out there to ask themselves besides demanding MAC donate all the profits to say ‘sorry’ what are we as individuals doing about the reason why this issue offends us all? Juarez is only one place in a world full of violence and don’t misinterpret my words. I am merely trying to say places in Juarez exist EVERYWHERE. Violence against women and children exist in other places that are beautiful as well as also confronting to our sensibilities. We all seem so intelligent these days because we can Google a situation and report verbatim on it online. We look a little smarter and get so angry doing so -but we don’t do anything about it except complain. If people are offended then they are its done. MAC are offering to do what they can to fix the situation. If they did nothing then I wouldn’t be writing this. They made a mistake they apologised. Sometimes we need accept that even a company like MAC with all its marketing and resources etc make mistakes. Are we all that pious we have never made mistakes too? I am always a fan of boycotting but I wonder at the end of the day how many of the people angry now will think about this collection next year when something new and ’convertible’ is released by MAC and is the ‘must have item’. Its good to feel like there is more to life then makeup. I am not defending that this collection has offended people I am just asking people to look at a bigger picture here.
I think changing the names and donating money is more a damage control tatics in response to the negative feedback. It is good that they did repsond, but I agree it shouldn't have happened in the first place. If they really wanted to celebrate the landscape and people in Juarez, they could use other names and photos which reflect that. If their intention was to help women in Juarez, they could have launch their marketing company as such in the first place, like their AIDS compaigns. Since they did not do neither, this is just damage control to save their reputations. The only positive outcome in this is that now there are more poeple award of the tragedy in Juarez.
Mac should donate all of the money that they make from this collection to that cause. For them 100,000 is like a dollar for an average consumer. That won't even make any difference at all. Normally I would say that it's the gesture and thought that counts, but not in this case. This is like making a hollocaust collection and having names like stripe pijamas, gas or some other horribly offencive names. The whole idea is that this happen in the first place. Names corresponding to streetwalkers, and all things that are wrong with this horrible place is amazing to me. Why would you make cosmetics for mostly woman and then take inspiration from a city that has so many of females tortured, raped and killed on daily bases? Make the main model look as if she was dead and put offensive names on products? They should have not done this in the first place. If they wanted to bring public attention to the situation than they should have done it much different. This is making money over any common sence.
If $100,000 really won't make any difference at all, then I don't understand why none of the readers here making a fuss are speaking up about donating. Especially if $100,000 for MAC is like $1 for the average consumer... I haven't heard anyone on here talking about donating even just $1. If people are claiming to be enlightened and angered by this collection, then why is no one doing anything?? Why is MAC the only one able to make a difference??? If you are angry enough to avoid this collection, you should care enough to donate the money you save to a good cause.
Becuase we, as consumers, have not done something to offend others about this matter. MAC is this company that claims to have been so good to other foundations, but now they went and offended many about this situation in juarez. That donation is pity of "oops we made a mistake, but we still want your money". I think many would agree it would have been better if the entire collection would have been pulled. People are not offended that MAC was not going to doante in the first place, but because they created names and pictures that were offensive.
I personally don't feel that 100K is enough. MAC has collections that come out every other month and get lots of money in sales. I'm sure the company can donate more money. I also feel if they keep the same pictures with the dead looking models, it is still glamourizing "dead women". I'm just disappointed that MAC had to be "backed into a corner" to change the inappropriate names, issue an apology, and donate money. The only positive element to this situation is that it made people aware of what has been going on in Juarez who had no clue what was going on so close to home.
I DON'T KNOW WUT IS THE BIG DEAL I DID'NT FIND ANYTHING WRONG PEOPLE ALWAYS MAKING EVERYTHING SUCH A BIG DEAL. THAT IS WHY THIS WORLD IS SO FULL OF DRAMA LET'S JUST FIND SOMETHING IN OUR LIVES THAT WONT BE SO NEGATIVE..AND STOP FINDING THINGS TO START CONTROVERSY EITHER U ACCEPT THE APOLOGY AS THEY ALREADY DID OR JUST SURPASS THE COLLECTION
So if someone made a collection with a theme of woman being abused and named their products, black eye, broken bones, and maybe abuse, than that would be no big deal too? There is a right way of doing things and a wrong way. Caring more about making money and pupping out one collection after another, rather than on what is actually happening and what the product represends. Sometimes we must stand up and voice our opinions loud and clear when we feel that someone is doing something wrong. This is not drama it's people actually giving a deam, noticing the ugly and voicing their discust.
This collection made CNN News this morning!
Really? Wow! What did they say?
That's what I was thinking wow! Here is the transcript that aired this morning on CNN News. Aired July 22, 2010 - 10:00 ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Juarez, Mexico, murderous drug cartels run wild, innocent people killed pretty much every day. Bodies found in the streets, buried alive in some cases, the mayor's life threatened, cops murdered, cars bombed. It's one of the most dangerous cities in the world. And for some reason make up companies thought it would be a great theme for a new line. Can you believe this? The makeup groups Mac and Rodarte teamed up for a new line labeled Ghost Town, Juarez, Badlands and Factory, and actually used models that many say look like they're dead. Is murder beautiful? Are drug cartels attractive? As you can imagine, Hispanic activists are furious. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CARLOS QUINTANILLA, HISPANIC ACTIVIST: It's regretful that they would take the pain and suffering of a community and make profits off of it. (END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: So now, Mac has apologized and it is going to donate part of the collection's proceeds to a charity in Juarez. That's right, part of the proceeds. Critics say that the whole line should die. http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1007/22/cnr.02.html How have you been doing Christine? I know it's been a long time since I posted anything but I still try to read the blog daily.
Thanks for sharing, Heather! I googled this AM and didn't find anything, then when I googled later on, I saw the same transcript! I am good -- feeling a bit behind at the moment, which is never a good feeling! I'm glad you're still reading daily :)
Your fast at replying! No it doesn't feel good to be behind. I hope you get all caught up tonight. If you don't mind me asking, what are your thoughts about all this? Did you know when you posted this that it might offend some people?
Hey Heather, I've chosen to be neutral and keep my views to myself. I'd much rather this be a forum for everyone to discuss, rather than one where I make a to-do on my opinion and end up as more of a reactionary post. I want everyone to feel like they can express their opinion, no matter what it is, and not worry about being censored or having to defend themselves to me (or in turn, me having to defend myself to others). I feel like because I have been a moderator rather than a participant, it has really allowed for amazing discussion in both this post as well as the original post - because there is no one person's opinion to focus on.
I totally understand.
Thanks, Heather :) I appreciate it!
MAC needs to pull this collection. Just the idea of knowing basis of this collection is an extreme turn off. Pull the collection but still continue with donation. Period!
Hi there, I wanted to let you know that an official petition has been started by those who believe MAC and Rodarte have not gone far enough in their efforts to help the women of Juarez. You'll find the petition here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/macrodarte/ Any support would be much appreciated.
Signed it!
i dont think that they meant to offend anyone but as a mexican american i am very bothered and offended byt their ignorance and just by the simple fact that they do this all for a buck. I stopped purchasing from mac long ago becuz the constant new "limited edition" collections are just ridiculous! i love makeup and i can buy as much as i choose, but mac is just taking advantage of that love for makeup and making it a dangerous addiction! i know the words limited edition haunted me and made me think i HAD TO HAVE every prouduct as im sure many other have felt the same. i hate to say but i dont think my thoughts of this company will ever change
I just want to point out that it wasn't MAC that brought awareness to the issue but the beauty bloggers and online community that did it. Let's not give MAC credit unless they actually earn it.
Hear hear!
I think we should all focus on the positive. The names were changed, due largely in part to us bloggers/consumers. This shows the power of our voices. Much needed attention is being brought to the situation in Juarez. So many people didn't even know about what has been going on, myself included. Because of this insensitive mistake, numerous people are now being educated on these crimes. And also, let's be honest: MAC is donating $100K. That's $100K more going towards saving lives that otherwise would not have. I see it as a blessing that has come out of something negative. Yes, they made a mistake. They've admitted that fact and have taken steps to try and rectify it. It should not have happened in the first place, but hey, look at what has come out this!! :)
$100,000 is an insult. I am from Juarez and even when I did not loose a loved one because of the matters in question I feel the pain of all those families affected. MAC shame on you.
OMG!! i think mac should give atleast 70% of their profits to the cause! Mac is wealthy!! we spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on mac..so its only fair to give some $$ to the cause!!
MAC grosses so many millions a year, that this kind of donation after what they did is an insult. Somebody involved in the creative process must have known about Juarez. I will give my money to amnesty (who have campaigned on this) instead. Very disappointed.
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