Anyone that knows me or at least reads this blog every blue moon knows I am a fan of anything and anyone Russia obsessed (I am a native and allowed some pride in the country that was thrilled to lose me to emigration many years ago but I digress…) so of course I get excited anytime Style.com waxes poetic about my motherland. Today there is an interview by Maya Singer with Miroslava Duma, a 25 year old Russian street style maven who is one of the hosts for Ferragamo‘s FNO event in NYC this week. Along with a fashion obsession Ms. Mira also has a very strong opinion on Pussy Riot, which I wholeheartedly disagree with. And I DO know my Russian history and know exactly what goes on in Moscow and Russia in general, now and before, and can say with the same assuredness as hers that Putin is a monster like no other and wether you agree or disagree with “those stupid girls” they do have the right to express their opinion. America is not always “nice” in the myriad of opinions that get expressed left and right but the point is, they get expressed without fear of being thrown in jail (for the most part…) By the way, it is important to note that Miroslava Duma is the daughter of Vasilay Duma, a Russian senator, so perhaps her opinion on Putin and Pussy Riot is really not that interesting, dare I say. I try to keep politics out of these posts but let’s be honest, the personal is political and so on, and fashion is quite political at the end of the day so I may as well chime in on the Pussy Riot debacle. Oh, and just to be clear, I love what Mira is wearing…
I just wrote about this very same interview on my site and decided to see if other people have said anything about it. My little post was very strongly worded and I worried I was over-reacting but I see that you make a very similar point. Many people have spoken up in support of Pussy Riot without really knowing much about Russia but many of us do know our history and understand that their performance was in many ways an act of desperation in the face of total political oppression.
I am so glad to have discovered your blog! I love it!
Thanks so much Petya! I just read your blog post and I don’t think it’s too harsh at all
So happy to have you as a fan of the blog. And I also dug your James Baldwin post, “I Wonder As I Wander” is one of my all time favorite books, and it has some amazing stuff about his travels through Russia.