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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhat was up with Aretha Franklin's fur coat at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors?
Snip:
While social media, television, radio, print, and blogs shed tears and doled out rightful praise for the Queen of Soul after it was announced last Thursday morning that she died, there was one comment on our Instagram account that raised a pause-worthy remark. Under a clip of Aretha Franklins tribute to Carole King at the 2015 Kennedy Center Awards, someone asked, in reference to Ms. Franklins fur coat worn during part of the performance, How many animals had to die for that coat. Loved her voice, but all I see when I see that coat is suffering. RIP Aretha."
Thank goodness the author of the comment didnt write that on Twitter its difficult to respond in 280 characters.
To answer in a longer format, lets zoom back to 1939 when an internationally cherished opera singer, Marion Anderson, a person of color, was denied a stage at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. The hall was owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution and it had a segregated auditorium and it only let white people perform on stage ironic since the first casualty of the American Revolution was Crispus Attucks, a man of color who was shot to death in the Boston Massacre of 1770. Attucks daughter, Phebe, by all accounts part Native American and part African, would have actually been the first daughter of the revolution. (Sock it to you, DAR.)
Thank goodness the author of the comment didnt write that on Twitter its difficult to respond in 280 characters.
To answer in a longer format, lets zoom back to 1939 when an internationally cherished opera singer, Marion Anderson, a person of color, was denied a stage at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. The hall was owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution and it had a segregated auditorium and it only let white people perform on stage ironic since the first casualty of the American Revolution was Crispus Attucks, a man of color who was shot to death in the Boston Massacre of 1770. Attucks daughter, Phebe, by all accounts part Native American and part African, would have actually been the first daughter of the revolution. (Sock it to you, DAR.)
Full article and links at Lester and Charlie Review
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What was up with Aretha Franklin's fur coat at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors? (Original Post)
bondwooley
Aug 2018
OP
i took it as her shedding all her inhibitions..the ones we women all develop as we age...
samnsara
Aug 2018
#1
Don Lemon spoke about these instances during his remembrance of his dear friend last evening.
Totally Tunsie
Aug 2018
#8
samnsara
(17,572 posts)1. i took it as her shedding all her inhibitions..the ones we women all develop as we age...
...she publically shucked off the confines of that heavy coat that covered up her 'imperfections' ( women..we all know! The flabby arms and not so toned body that society has told us to cover up with long sleeves and loose clothing!). Showing us the body of a woman who has had to work hard all her life. And by gum shes proud of herself and no one aint gonna tell her no different.
KCDebbie
(664 posts)4. I'd never thought of the act of her dropping her fur in that way before...
Quite an enlightening post - thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
bondwooley
(1,198 posts)6. Thank you! n/t
bondwooley
(1,198 posts)5. You nailed it!!! n/t
mcar
(42,210 posts)7. A natural woman
It was an amazing, empowering moment.
HipChick
(25,485 posts)2. PETA knew full well never to mess with her..
she always wore her fur coats regardless..
forgotmylogin
(7,496 posts)3. Aretha loved fur. PETA certainly tried.
The fur coats that Franklin wore were, in part, recognition of that status. They helped her keep warm and make sure her voice was open, but they were also following in the footsteps of old gospel singers, for whom such coats were a way of saying, Ive earned it, now Im gonna wear it.
The fur is part of the drama, the royal persona, Remnick wrote. When Franklin went to see Diahann Carroll in a production of Sunset Boulevard, in Toronto, she had two seats: one for her, one for the mink.
https://www.vox.com/2018/8/16/17701798/aretha-franklin-barack-obama-etta-james
The fur is part of the drama, the royal persona, Remnick wrote. When Franklin went to see Diahann Carroll in a production of Sunset Boulevard, in Toronto, she had two seats: one for her, one for the mink.
{Darlene Love:}When we worked together at the gospel concert at the White House in the last year of the Obama administration, she came out in her full-length fur coat. We were already sweating and there she was in in her fur coat. Aretha spent years not being able to afford things. When she was able to afford 10 mink coats, she was going to wear her mink coats. When people stopped wearing mink coats because of the cruelty to the animals she was like, I worked hard for this fur coat. Im going to wear it. Thats Aretha.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/darlene-love-aretha-franklin-712401/
Aretha was a target of PETA, and seemed to ignore their requests, even when they offered to buy her coats when she was having financial issues if she would promise not to wear fur again.
https://www.peta.org/blog/peta-offers-aretha-19k-ditch-fur/
Totally Tunsie
(10,885 posts)8. Don Lemon spoke about these instances during his remembrance of his dear friend last evening.
His personal tribute did wonderful justice to the Queen.
fayhunter
(221 posts)10. Have a link? n/t