That Dolce & Gabbana runway show featuring a pregnant model and an army of women and babies [1] may have been making more of a political statement than we previously thought. An interview the company founders Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana did with Italy's Panorama magazine went viral over the weekend after they remarked [2]:
"The only family is the traditional one . . . No chemical offsprings and rented uterus: life has a natural flow, there are things that should not be changed. You are born to a mother and a father — or at least that's how it should be . . . I call children of chemistry, synthetic children. Uteri [for] rent, semen chosen from a catalog."
Response from the gay and IVF community has been swift and strong with Elton John — father to Zachary, 4, and Elijah, 2, who were both born via a surrogate mother — taking to Instagram to call out the designers for their harsh remarks and asking his fans to boycott the brand. He wrote, "How dare you refer to my beautiful children as 'synthetic.' And shame on you for wagging your judgmental little fingers at IVF — a miracle that has allowed legions of loving people, both straight and gay, to fulfill their dream of having children."
View this post on Instagram[3]
John isn't the only one outraged at the remarks [5]. Parents who've used IVF to welcome their children — including Ricky Martin and Martina Navratilova — took to Instagram and Twitter to express their outrage and endorse the boycott.
.@dolcegabbana [6] ur voices R 2powerfull 2B spreading so much h8 http://t.co/30Oe2hcxNt [7] Wake up,Its 2015 Luv urselves guys #boycottdolcegabbana [8]
— Ricky Martin (@ricky_martin) March 15, 2015 [9]
Right on Elton and David
http://t.co/qmORSvTnUe [10]
My D&G shirts are going in the bin- don't want ANYONE to wear them
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) March 15, 2015 [11]
In spite of what @dolcegabbana [12] think, my beautiful IVF children are not "synthetic children". I agree with @eltonjohndotcom [13]
— Al Roker (@alroker) March 15, 2015 [14]
Since their interview made news, Dolce and Gabbana have released a statement [15] reinforcing their views and stating that they have the right to express their opinions:
"We believe firmly in democracy and we think freedom of expression is essential for that. We talked about our way of looking at the world, but it was not our intention to express a judgement on other people's choices. We believe in freedom and love."
So it looks like that fashion show was only directed at families that fit into the Dolce & Gabbana mold.