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Last Friday, the fragrance news wire went nuclear when it was announced that hip-hop mogul, Jay-Z, would finally be launching his first eponymous scent since inking a deal with Parlux back in 2009 (WWD, MTV). For those who don’t remember this infamous deal, the agreement between Parlux and Mr. Carter’s Iconic Brands included plans to develop fragrances for Rihanna, Kanye West, Jay-Z, and a never-named fourth female celebrity. It also granted a payment of royalties to Iconic (an industry first) as well as an allotment of Parlux company shares. Jay-Z’s fragrance was initially scheduled to launch back in 2011… after Kanye and Rihanna. Rumors abound as to why there has been such a delay since the first announcement (Kanye’s Taylor Swift stage meltdown, legal disputes with Elizabeth Arden who owns the rights to Rocawear, Neil Katz’s exit at Parlux, etc…), but fast forward to 2013 and the Jay-Z launch is finally upon us… and rife with an entirely new scandal. Why scandal? Because the November 20th launch of “Jay-Z Gold” will be included as part of Jay-Z’s fashion collaboration with uptown retailer, Barney’s New York (before getting a wider retail release on November 29th at Macy’s, Ulta, etc).
While I normally avoid the slippery discussions on celebrity fragrances, this specific launch caught my eye for a host of reasons. While you may think I am only referring to the Barney’s scandal (which I will discuss in brief below), it was also the press release for the fragrance, along with some of the quotes circulating with it, that have sent my head spinning. To put it simply, the Jay-Z Gold launch is yet another example of the deceptive art of gender contamination that is so prevalent in the fragrance industry. But before I get into that, here’s a quick update on the mess involving Barney’s.
Barney’s Accused of Racial Profiling
Barney’s New York has recently come under fire for policies that have involved accusations of unfair racial profiling of its African American customers. Thus far, two suits have been filed against Barney’s. The first case was filed by Trayon Christian, a 19-year-old technical college student from Queens, who was detained for fraud in April 2013 after using his debit card to purchase a $349 Ferragamo belt. The second occurrence involves Kayla Phillips, a 21-year-old nursing student from Brooklyn, who claims she was stopped by detectives outside the retailer in February 2013 after purchasing a $2,500 Celine handbag. Though facts are still surfacing, the accusations have put Barney’s in the crosshairs of Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network (NAN), who has been meeting to discuss corporate policies with the retailer since the news broke, publicly commenting on the apparent collusion between Barney’s and NYPD. Barney’s CEO Mark Lee has issued a public apology, promising to review policies with a civil rights expert. All of this mess just in time for an announced collaboration with Jay-Z.
In response to both profiling incidents, a Change.org petition was created, asking Jay-Z to “withdraw support to those who will not support us [young black shoppers]” and “send a clear message to all corporations that are likeminded, that this behavior cannot be tolerated any longer.” Fans also took to social networking sites to voice their frustrations and disapproval, even calling for a boycott. All of this chatter compelled Jay-Z into making a public statement via his website:
“I move and speak based on facts and not emotion. I haven’t made any comments because I am waiting on facts and the outcome of a meeting between community leaders and Barney’s. Why am I being demonized, denounced and thrown on the cover of a newspaper for not speaking immediately? The negligent, erroneous reports and attacks on my character, intentions, and the spirit of this collaboration have forced me into a statement I didn’t want to make without the full facts.” (read the full statement here)
Here I tend to agree with Jay-Z’s and Rev. Sharpton’s pragmatism. This is most certainly a Barney’s problem, but it will still be very interesting to see how responses morph as more facts are uncovered. That being said, this incident cannot help but cast a stigma over the collaboration (not exactly the kind of press anyone wants for a launch, especially one aimed at raising funds for charity). But for now, let’s push pause on the issues involving the Barney’s debacle (to be continued), and instead look at the other problems I mentioned before.
The Fear of Perfume
Let’s be honest, the hip-hop community isn’t exactly at its best when it comes to women’s and LGBT issues. Misogyny and homophobia run rampant in the lyrics. Words like “fairy,” “bitch,” or worse slurs are leveled at rivals to bolster an emcee’s masculinity, and usually without a second thought. True, artist’s such as Queen Latifah (ironically another Parlux license) and Frank Ocean have tried to combat these long standing traditions, yet they still represent a small minority swimming in a sea of hate and ignorance. Most recently, rapper Eminem has again come under scrutiny for homophobic rhymes, specifically for his track “Rap God,” using the old “it’s not me but my persona” excuse to sidestep the issue. While artists like Jay-Z and Kanye West have indeed been strong supporters of gay rights, including marriage equality, it seems that even they are not immune to issues surrounding the fragile male emcee ego. So I cannot say I was surprised by this example of gender contamination found in explaining the launch of Jay-Z Gold. Here is an excerpt from the WWD article:
“Although the concentration of the juice was amped up to more than 18 percent, as part of a strategy to convey superior quality, the concentration is described as an eau de toilette, because the more accurate eau de parfum was deemed to be not masculine enough.” WWD – November 1, 2013
With a cap with the words “Power,” “Pride,” “Confidence,” “Strength,” “Success,” and “Courage,” emblazened on it, why is the word “perfume” so scary?
Gender contamination is a phenomena based on the idea that when a word, product, or practice is strongly claimed or associated with a particular gender group, the opposite gender will abandon it for fear of having their own gender identity called into question, or worse, irreparably damaged. It includes practices like banishing menstruating women to special huts to avoid polluting everyone else they encounter (Slate).
In the fragrance world, gender contamination explains why today most fragrances targeted at men are uniformly referred to as colognes or after shaves, and fragrances targeted at women are referred to as perfumes, regardless of their historical context and meaning. For example, while cologne traditionally refers to a style of citrus-based fragrance formulations that date back to the 1700’s, it has over the years been stretched to, first refer to a particular concentration level in a scent, and then, to more generically describe any fragrance worn by a man. This muddying of the term has done nothing but further confuse fragrance shoppers who already struggle with understanding fragrance terminology. It has also helped prop up idiotic gender segregations based on fragrance type (for more on this, also check out “Stop Unisex-ing Me.”)
Needless to say, I am extremely disappointed that Jay-Z and Parlux have chosen to mis-classify Gold as an eau de toilette instead of proudly wearing the eau de parfum (or perfume) label. Here is a missed opportunity to not only educate, but to be ahead of the curve, something I have come to expect from artistic leaders like Jay-Z. In my opinion, by making mention of the decision to dodge the use of the word perfume, he (and his masculinity) seem weak and exposed… fragile. None of the things you want associated with the image of Gold. If the concern of using perfume was that high, why even mention the concentration? I’ll tell you why. Because they also market tested the idea that men want more from their scent (longevity in wear) for the money they put down. See, Jay-Z’s fragrance is bigger and stronger… and your masculinity is safe when you wear it. Greed once again trumps truth in advertising.
So my hopes are not high for this launch, which could have been quite stellar. I’ve always considered Jay-Z to be an amazing artist, someone I have respected. I really loved the concept for projects like Picasso Baby. Why couldn’t that same spirit be carried over into the art form I really love? I may be naive, but I expected Jay-Z to be better than the other male celebrities who have stepped into the world of fragrance. This gender mistake (along with the ridiculous fragrance description) dash any hope I have for that. Here will be yet another generic fougère for men (you know, the one of two “acceptable” fragrance families men can wear) and another overhyped celebrity flirtation with fragrance… and the Jay-Z name will be all over it.
About the Fragrance (From Press Release)
Jay-Z Gold Juice, White Fougère
Perfumers: Jay-Z & Ilias Ermenidis Perfumer, Firmenich
TOP: The brightness of Sicilian Bergamot and ginger warmed with Cardamom
MID: Masculine vetiver and teak wood mingle with the spice of pink pepper
BASE: Rich amber and sensual myrrh are smoothed with bourbon vanilla
(Side notes: yes the release lists Jay-Z as a perfumer and furthermore, I have absolutely no idea what masculine vetiver is. Perhaps it is a grass with a penis)
