Tattoo clothing under fire

Tattoo clothing under fire

Lisbeth Salander is a rape victim, an abuse survivor and a heroine in the "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," and the fictional character will also become a style icon if the clothing line by H&M is any indication.

The clothing line that sold out in Los Angeles in ten minutes, according to the designer, is under fire by blogger Natalie Karneef who wrote a blog item titled "An Open Letter to H&M from a Rape Survivor": "…H&M, you have created a line of clothing based on her character: a woman who has suffered a lifetime of abuse, who is violently raped, and who is hunting down a man who violently rapes and kills other women."

"Lisbeth has been through hell, and her clothing is her armor. That's her choice, and it's an understandable choice. But you glamorize it, putting a glossy, trendy finish on the face of sexual violence and the rage and fear it leaves behind."


H&M did not return our request for comment. In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, a spokesperson for H&M wrote, "We have read the open letter by Natalie Karnefwe apologize if she or anyone has been offended by the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo collection by Trish Summerville – this has not in any way been our intent. The collection is based on and inspired by the film and character Lisbeth Salander and though we think Lisbeth is a strong woman who stands up for her ideal, we are not trying to represent her specifically."

The spokesperson continued, "Our goal is to rather offer a collection that we see in today's trend picture that will appeal to many customers. We do not view this collection as provocative-it contains pieces that are staples in many people's wardrobes: jeans, biker jackets and t-shirts. It's all about how you wear them. We encourage our customers to find their own personal way to wear our products."