Who knew that a suffragette leader’s rallying cry from 1913 would come back to bite Meryl Streep in 2015? The quote, “I’d rather be a rebel than a slave,” has stirred an historical and racial hornet’s nest.
“It was probably rousing and inspiring and totally OK within the context of the time,” Zeba Blay said in scathing column on Huffington Post. “However, this is not a 20th-century voting rights rally — it’s a highly produced fashion shoot which features beautiful, famous white women promoting a film with a quote that references slavery. And as many Twitter users are pointing out online, perpetuating the idea that sexism and racism are somehow the same thing, especially when it comes to the history of slavery, is pretty damaging.”
Pankhurst is played by Streep in the movie coming out Wednesday.
“While there’s nuance in the sentiment, there’s also something decidedly eerie about seeing an image of a white woman wearing a T-shirt printed with the word ‘slave,'” said Holiday Black on bust.com. “Like, haven’t we stolen enough from people of color? Now their historical struggle is a marketing plug?”
The debate raged on social media.
You know there was a black intern sitting at the back of the room during this photo shoot just shaking her head. pic.twitter.com/EJtPrErkST
— Saeed Jones (@theferocity) October 5, 2015
Meryl Streep’s ‘slave’ t-shirt campaign shows jaw-dropping ignorance http://t.co/XupO8hJOiL
— theGrio.com (@theGrio) October 6, 2015
The presence of the words “rebel” and “slave” alone should have had Meryl Streep picking up a history book first. http://t.co/5k850Tq3wD
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) October 6, 2015
Meryl Streep “Slave” Shirt Defended By Time Out London — SEE STATEMENT: http://t.co/ctnW1udkLO pic.twitter.com/HIcMnc3cQb
— Gossip Cop (@GossipCop) October 6, 2015
“I’d rather be a rebel than a slave.” -Emmeline Pankhurst. Do some research before turning on Meryl Streep people. pic.twitter.com/iGfQ2Jp6TG
— ADvertently (@ADvertently1) October 5, 2015