Trademark owner of “Peg The Patriarchy” wishes Cara Delevigne credit her
Met Gala on 14 September proved that it never fails to bring fresh fashion materials for the public to either ogle or roast, and among them was Cara Delevigne’s white bulletproof vest-like dress with “Peg The Patriarchy” printed in red. However, unbeknownst to many, the slogan was already trademarked long ago by Luna Matatas, a queer artist and sex educator.
According to her Instagram post, Luna only noticed about the incident since many people are tagging and messaging her on her social media accounts. She also stated no matter how giddy it made her that the phrase she trademarked in 2015 reaches the mainstream media, she is disappointed that Delevigne, the co-owner of sexual wellness brand Lora DiCarlo, discredited her.
In a quick interview, when asked about her attire, Delevigne said, “If anyone doesn’t know what this word is, you’re going to have to look it up because I’m not going to explain it.” This sparked curiosity and spiked the word search for “peg” on Google. “Peg”, for those who are unaware, is a sexual act where one person would wear a strap-on dildo to penetrate the other. For heterosexuals, this act is identical to anal sex.
Matatas also clarified that the phrase is not about anal sex and not about men. “It's a metaphor for subverting the system that requires subservience within a gender binary,” she wrote in the caption, explaining that the phrase is more about sexual subversion. For her, the lack of credit on the use of her catchphrase did not only affect her brand’s presence on the Internet and misrepresents the brand, but also diminished what she had to go through to build the brand as a queer woman of color.
The vest Delevigne wore is designed by Dior’s first female art director Maria Grazia Chiuri who is deemed to have brought feminism into the high fashion industry. At the same time, she was also criticised for commodifying women’s movement through her designs, such as the $710 (Rp10.1 million) “We Should All Be Feminists” plain tee.