Is Cardi B Cancelled Over This Outfit?

Paris Fashion Week was filled with showstopping collections, but the most discussed garment was that belonging to Cardi B. The award-winning rapper and former reality television star arrived at Thom Browne’s collection reveal in a head-to-toe floral outfit. Her outfit drew positive attention from many spectators but it also received its share of backlash. The apparent faux pas posed the question, is fashion free from controversy?

The staple event welcomed guests with high fashion looks, and Cardi B’s was no exception. Her outfit featured a trench coat over a mid-length dress, and the pieces were made of identical floral fabric. The look was completed with a matching headscarf and face covering, which caused some to view an otherwise avant-garde concept as a fashion blunder.

The controversy came from laws and regulations in France. The French senate placed a ban on headscarves and face coverings in 2010, making this garment a clear violation. It caused a debate over whether celebrities are given a pass for legal violations due to the prestige of fashion week. More so, it made people upset to see a cultural practice such as face and head covering being appropriated for shock value.

Aside from this, outrage came from France’s Muslim citizens who found the ban to be hypocritical. One of the consequences of wearing coverings in France is a fine of € 150. With stereotypical associations of Muslims with terrorism, those who identify as Muslim saw this ban as a way to alienate them. Seeing a celebrity wear the attire that they could not presents a double standard.

At the moment, it is not clear whether Cardi B received a fine for her look, but people across the globe demand that she should. Considering that celebrities often collaborate with a designer to select fashion week outfit options, should her designer receive a fine as well? Fashion is an art form, but that may not be enough to excuse it from legal boundaries.

While the Paris Fashion Week festivities included looks that welcome in a new season, this situation posed significant questions for the modern fashion industry.