Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Marketing upscale clothing, with rurality, meekness and devotion

I recently purchased some lovely silk scarves at a boutique. The tag on the scarves describes the origin of silk fibers, the history of their use and how to care for the scarves. Interestingly, the tag also uses the words "rural" and "villager" in relation to those who made the scarves. It reads in part:
The Intrinsic and Artistic Skills Of The Intriguing Villagers of Mystical INDIA Are Proudly Presented Thru These Varied Combinations Of Silks And Other Spectacular Natural Indian Fibres.

* * *
Your Purchase Also Benefits and Supports The Meek, Gentle, Selfless Rural Indian Villagers Who Are Seeking Salvation Thru Simplicity, Devotion And Hard Work.
Obviously, this was not written by a native English speaker, but the word choice nevertheless seems significant. I find the references to rurality as such a positive thing to be interesting in this context--perhaps because the scarves are not the somewhat crude handcrafts one might buy in a developing world country. I guess I'm thinking that most people buying these scarves would not really care that they are helping poor villagers half a world away--but perhaps I am wrong about this. I also find intriguing the implication that rural folk/villagers are synonymous with meekness, gentleness, and selflessness.

1 comment:

Mac said...
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