There are two aspects of this story that I found interesting. First, is that the 18-year-old daughter of Clint Eastwood, Francesca, destroyed a $100,000 Hermès Birkin bag and, second, there is a $100,000 Hermès bag. Eastwood has triggered a firestorm of controversy over the “art” video with her boyfriend, Tyler Shields, with people noting that they destroyed a bag worth over three times the annual salary of most working Americans. Some have noted that some (budget basement) bag can go for as little as $10,000. Would that matter?
I am not sure what to be more outraged about as part of the Lumpenproletariat: owning or destroying a $100,000 bag. I think I will go with owning one.
The destruction was shown in a series of pictures on Shields’s website, tylershields.com. They show Eastwood burning the bad with gasoline and then shredding it with a $200 chainsaw. They insist it is a genuine purse and Shields states “Destruction is a beautiful version of freedom … Would you want this bag? Are you sad to see me destroy it?” Clever and edgy. Next they might try peasant shooting:
Shield’s responded to the widespread criticism with a curious offer: “If somebody wants to buy one of the Birkin photos, I will donate $100,000 — not to a charity — but to a family. I will give one family in need $100,000 cash.”
Young Eastwood is part of a reality show “Mrs. Eastwood and Company,” featuring Eastwood’s second wife Dina and members of their blended family.
Frankly, I cannot imagine what could go into a handbag to make it worth the price of a home, but I expect it contains an overdose of sheer snobbism. Some bags reportedly go as high as $150,000. That certainly makes it a worthwhile image for artistic destruction, but a knockoff would seem a good substitute. However, artists have often chosen valuable things to destroy to make a statement. The band K Foundation once burned £1 million cash. Likewise, Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei was famous for his destroying a Han Dynasty vase as part of his artistic expression.
Moreover, the super rich often spend lavishly. While young Eastwood’s mother has said that the teen has no sense of money, many celebrities vie for buying (or destroying) with abandon. Such is the case with Steven Tyler’s purchase of the first 2012 Hennessey Venom GT for over $1 million. Would it be immoral for him to now burn the car as an artistic expression? It would be more artistically appealing than his ability to sing the national anthem. Where do you draw the line between immoral consumption and merely obscene spending?
What is clear is that it presents a slightly different image of an Eastwood after Clint Eastwood’s popular video during the Superbowl celebrating the return of the American worker:
Well, its halftime in the Eastwood house and little Francesca may need to hear from Dad:
People are out of work and they’re hurting. And they’re all wondering what they’re going to do to make a comeback. And we’re all scared, because this isn’t a game.
The people of Detroit know a little something about this. They almost lost everything. But we all pulled together, now Motor City is fighting again.
I’ve seen a lot of tough eras, a lot of downturns in my life. And, times when we didn’t understand each other. It seems like we’ve lost our heart at times. When the fog of division, discord, and blame made it hard to see what lies ahead.
Source: Globe and Mail
Re the bags. An explanation.
My hubby makes more money than your hubby. Thus I am a more valuable whore than you are.
Excuse the banalities. Must be the thread which brings it out.
Women choose men. And it is not usually for the make of their sneakers. But some stupes believe they do. Enough to make billions for those selling prestige and image.
If for every dime spent on the right “sport clothing”, another one was spent on a daily walk followed by a cup of coffee, then a lot of fat guts and heart attacks would disappear. But walks have to be done. Not purchased at a store.
SwM,
We are so poor here that a rag or a necklace from a thrift shop is enough to make a woman glow.
I remember many years ago passing by Neiman Marcus in Dallas (?). Must have been a low night Only seven Rolls standing outside with liveried chauffors. That was 1986. Guess times are better for the rich now.
Amazing it goes throgh all ranks and cultures. All over the world. Must be an expression of the need to be seen as attractive in order to compete on the reproduction market.
But crap, you know all this. You tell me more. I ain’t been there since and didn’t understand it then.
ID707,
Stay in Sweden. I’m sure you have plenty of buddies there.
That’s why I chose ROTC. Did not want to suck up buttermilk with my behind. You must have been hardened by that. My admiration. Or was it buddy-buddy all the way?
idealist707, I see why it is unreal to someone in Scandinavia. Those Birken bags are flying off the shelves in Dallas. The women that have them seem to walk with the wrist it is on held out very straight so others can see the bag…..disgusting…
idealist707
When I was in boot camp a Senior Chief told me my ass sucks buttermilk. I wanted to tell him to pound it up his ass, but you don’t do that in boot camp.
Woosty,
Re your “cruck” (sic). In 500 years (or less) they will be praying to it as a symbol of the gods who once lived there in the veld.
Personnaly tis seems so jnreal. Am I alone with that. And I don’t know much about papas’s politics, but was it the voice and manner, or his money, or his connections that got him elected mayor? Remember Reagan.
And speaking of candidates: Can we agree it was campaign money that assured Romney’s primary wins? Or were simply the others not broad enough in their profiles. Many like buttermilk, but few chili yogurt.
In my understanding, Ms. Eastwood is working hard at making her own money…yes, her name and father’s money may (probably) have helped get her started, but at least she’s not famous simply for being famous or having a sex tape ‘leaked’ ala Kim K. or Paris Hiton.
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Does it matter that he might have done it to get a rise out of people as an artist and social commentator instead of as a rich youth?
@Wdeanis… Honestly, I think it does. If he’s doing it out of some sort of social commentary then at least there is some depth and thought to it. If he’s doing it simply because ‘he can’ then there is no art to it beyond learning how to operate a camera…
If you’re going to be a photographer of the sort he is, then your work has to have a deeper meaning beyond looking pretty and riling people up for no good reason…otherwise you’re just a kid with a camera and money, what’s the value in that?
Obviously the rich have too much money now. They bought the tax code in order to make it so.
This can be corrected.
Tinkerbelle doesn’t do anything to protect her wings from the jet. She just turns around with a stupid expression on her face and says, well somebody will buy it. It’s art.
That sounds awesome! How much paint can Tinkerbelle pickup, and what does she do to protect her wings from the jet?
anon,
Is it different than a fairy throwing a bucket of paint at a canvas behind a jet blast and calling it art?
“well how come nobody gets all riled when Hollywood destroys (as SlingTrebuchet pointed out…) all those pretty cars and buildings and stuff?”
Boy, that sure ain’t a strawman!
I think people often get upset when artist’s art seems like self-indulgent crap.
And same too, when the art seems genuine, but egregiously destructive of some resource.
But when art seems genuine, even if non-understandable, the artist gets a huge leeway.
If people understood the message Clint’s daughter was trying to send with her art, they would probably feel better about it.
It mainly seems to be self-indulgent brat with too much money is trying to pull a Paris Hilton but refusing to show us her tits.
well how come nobody gets all riled when Hollywood destroys (as SlingTrebuchet pointed out…) all those pretty cars and buildings and stuff?
I went to Africa and in the middle of enjoying the pristine veld we had to endure the rusted out remains of a cruck used in the filming of ‘Tarzan’….it was just disgusting…
That anyone would pay $100,000 for a purse smells a lot like P.T. Barnum.
Does it work any better than a $50 purse? No. Can you live in it? No. Does it do something special like make your personality better? No.
Anyone stupid enough to spend $100,000 on a purse needs to be beaten with said purse on principle alone. Not to death, mind you. Just severely enough that they’ll never again think of spending $100,000 on a purse as a good decision.
As to the people who sell $100,000 purses?
Shame on you.
What’s all this fuss I hear about merkin bags?
Of course Ms. Eastwood should keep her merkin in a bag. I don’t want to see it when I am on the bus.
And burn it? Certainly, if she can’t wash the fleas from her merkin.
Clint Eastwood has plenty of money, but not as much as the Hilton family.
Stupid girl is obviously cut from the same cloth as Paris Hilton. There’s all kinds of ways to get pimped.
It will matter to her if Daddy stops giving her money.