Celebs under watch

[1]

Ours is a land of holy cows and even Simpsons will tell you that. But when the savvy Minister, Shashi Tharoor chose to say just that via his Twitter account, it was not just a storm but hell raised in the V cup as Tharoor inched closer to his final oust from the office. So, when swift acting fashion brand suspended head designer John

Galliano days before the Paris Fashion Week, over an alleged anti-Semitic slur and racist remarks, we were forced to re-examine the microscope that celebrities live under, leaving almost no room for error.
Designer Anand Bhushan says that a mistake is after all just that and being committed by different people can’t make it right. “Being a celebrity does have its own baggage and one needs to be even more careful if they are in that position. When Kate Moss was discovered abusing illegal substances, she was immediately dropped from the campaigns of brands,” he says adding that the image of a luxury brand is extremely delicate and all said and done, no matter how big he is on his own, Galliano is still a part of the Dior brand and we should be in no position to question their decision.
Designer Nikhil Mehra suggests that caution is the only remedy for people who are intolerant to icons. “I think there is a thin line for innovative, magnificent creators and they are often mavericks in their own sense. So, they are always in a more vulnerable position, as there are a lot of people vying to be where they are. Anyway, everyone loves a bad boy, isn’t it?” he asks.
Even though Dior might have acted even before you could say John, not everyone is willing to believe that was the only side of the story. Tikka Shatrujit Singh, advisor to Louis Vuitton, India finds the news slightly difficult to digest. “I have had the privilege of meeting the man and I found him extremely humble and soft-spoken and since you and I weren’t there when this happened, who knows what happened? It’s still an allegation and would be foolish for us to sit here and pass judgement,” he says, maintaining that celebrities live under tough scrutiny and that’s the price they pay for fame.
However, for die-hard Galliano fans like fashion blogger Santu Misra who runs a blog called The Devil Wore, he is allowed his share of mistakes. “Galliano has always been under the spotlight as he was one of the first creative directors to change the face of an old French house and it seems like all followed suit. So, the jealousy is intense, but don’t we all retaliate when we are told something offensive? It’s only human and he is a human too, just in case everyone forgot. So, cut the man some slack, as to err is only that,” retorts Misra.