法國總統新眼鏡引發時裝政治風波

Once again the question of sex discrimination when it comes to politics and fashion has reared its pundit-baiting head.

“政治與時尚界的性別歧視”這個話題又一次投下了誘餌，等着評論員們去咬鉤。

The announcement that Alyssa Mastromonaco, a former deputy chief of staff for President Obama, would join Marie Claire as a contributing editor has talking heads from Politico to New York magazine up in arms about whether it is demeaning or about time for serious women to have a serious relationship with glossy magazines, why fashion is belittLing to female power players (Politico calls this “the princess effect”), why this is never an issue when it comes to their male counterparts and how, if we were really being fair, we would pay beady-eyed attention to men and their garb, so on and so forth. You know the story.

據有關消息，奧巴馬總統的前任副幕僚長阿麗莎·馬斯特洛莫納克(Alyssa Mastromonaco)即將加入《Marie Claire》雜誌，擔任撰稿編輯。從《政客》到《紐約》雜誌，衆多評論者紛紛發表意見，探討她是不是自貶身份；何時纔是嚴肅的職業女性和時尚雜誌發展嚴肅關係的好時候；爲什麼捲入時尚會使那些女性權力玩家們顯得渺小（《政客》稱之爲“公主效應”）；爲什麼男性政客就不會遇到這種事；還有，如果我們真正公平的話，應該對男人和他們的着裝密切關注到什麼地步，等等等等，諸如此類。你們懂的。

But here’s the thing: While everyone has been shouting about the above (Ms. Mastromonaco has written an editorial in her defense), the very same issue, which is to say, a major public figure’s relationship to fashion, has actually become something of a cause célèbre in France. But in this case, the public figure is a man.

但是問題就在這兒：正當所有人都在叫嚷着上述這些問題的時候（馬斯特洛莫納克也寫了一篇社論爲自己辯護），重要公衆人物與時尚的關係這個同樣的問題在法國也引發了一場公開論戰，只不過主人公是男性。

I offer as proof positive that these days sartorial politics is an equal opportunity arena (and taken equally seriously for both sexes) the recent hoo-ha over President François Hollande’s new ... eyeglasses. Truth is, when it comes to image, male leaders are under scrutiny just as much as women are. Perhaps even more, as they have fewer options for self-expression, resulting in greater attention to every detail.

我可以拿出的鐵證是——弗朗索瓦·奧朗德總統(President François Hollande)的……新眼鏡問題掀起的軒然大波表明，現在服裝政治完全是個機會均等的舞臺（對於男女來說都是嚴肅的事情）。事實是：當涉及形象問題時，男性領導人也和女性領導人一樣，會受到人們細心審視。或許人們對男性領導人的關注更多，因爲他們沒有多少選擇可供自我表達，其結果就是人們對所有細節更加關注。

A few weeks ago, Mr. Hollande swapped his clear rimless glasses for a geekier, horn-rimmed style. They are not as extreme as stereotypical black-framed architect’s numbers, but they come close. And this started a vociferous debate among the French.

幾個星期前，奧朗德把原來清澈明朗的無邊眼鏡換成了有點書呆子氣的角質框架眼鏡。它不像典型的黑邊建築師眼鏡那麼極端，但也差不多了。這在法國人當中引發了一場熱鬧的討論。

The glasses, made by Lindberg, a Danish company whose glasses are also worn by Queen Elizabeth II, Bill Gates, Miuccia Prada and Brad Pitt, have been condemned by French businesses for being both unpatriotic and hypocritical. The glasses prove, Mr. Hollande’s critics said, that he does not practice what he preaches: that is, supporting local industry. (The president made the somewhat ill-considered decision to do the glasses swap as his government embarked on a heightened Made in France push.)

這副眼鏡是由丹麥公司林德伯格製造，伊麗莎白女王二世(Queen Elizabeth II)、比爾·蓋茨、繆西婭·普拉達(Miuccia Prada)和布拉德·皮特(Brad Pitt)也戴這個牌子的眼鏡。法國商界批評總統戴這個牌子的眼鏡顯得不愛國、虛僞。奧朗德的批評者們說，奧朗德鼓吹支持本土工業，這副眼鏡卻和他的話自相矛盾（總統做出這個某種程度上欠考慮的換眼鏡決定正值他的政府大力鼓勵“法國製造”之際）。

Ludovic Brochard and Maxime Rolandeau, directors of the French glasses manufacturer Roussilhe, posted a letter on the company’s website that they also sent to the Élysée Palace, in which they wrote (and I have translated): “You are, Mr. President, an important figure around the world, and your choice of glasses could suggest that no French company can satisfy your needs.”

法國眼鏡公司盧西勒(Roussilhe)的經理盧多維·布羅夏爾(Ludovic Brochard)和馬克西姆·羅蘭多(Maxime Rolandeau)在公司網站上發表了一封公開信，同時這封信寄到了愛麗捨宮，信中寫道（由我翻譯成英文）：“總統先生，你是世界要人，你對眼鏡的選擇暗示着沒有任何法國眼鏡公司能夠滿足你的需求。”

Instead, they continued, “You could have been an ambassador for French glasses and witness to the dynamism of our sector in France and beyond.” They invited him to meet them at the Salon Mondiale de l’Optique at the end of September to check out their wares.

他們還寫道，“你本應成爲法國眼鏡的大使，以及我們的公司在法國乃至國外的活躍勢頭的見證人。”他們邀請奧朗德在9月底的世界光學鏡片沙龍上與他們見面，看看他們的產品。

Another optician, Sabine Bégault-Vagner, stepped in and gave Mr. Hollande a model from her brand, Sabine Be, in the colors of the republic (red and blue) with a slightly more diplomatic note saying, “I modestly propose you try a pair ‘hand made in France’ with much love.”

另一個眼鏡製造商薩賓娜·貝格爾-瓦格諾(Sabine Bégault-Vagner)也參與進來，她送給奧德朗一副本公司品牌薩賓娜·比(Sabine Be)的樣品，它有國旗的顏色（紅與藍），還附上了一則略帶外交口吻的便條：“謹此，滿懷愛意地建議你試戴這副‘法國手工製造’的眼鏡。”

For their part, the Élysée Palace-ologists have been speculating on the potential symbolism of the glasses swap. Is it about “rose-tinted nostalgia”? asked the news channel France24, apropos of the retro style. Bruno Roger-Petit, a columnist in the weekly newsmagazine Le Nouvel Observateur, posited that the specs were a clear nod to the style of the politician Jacques Chirac in the golden years of French prosperity during the 1960s-70s, and thus “an object that embodies a clear relationship to a past perceived as positive, the nostalgia for an era of fun both prohibited and conquered.” (This despite the fact that the last French leader to actually wear Lindberg glasses, albeit a different style, was Mr. Hollande’s fellow socialist, Lionel Jospin, who was prime minister from 1997 to 2002; Mr. Chirac was the founder of the Gaullist party, Rally for the Republic.)

愛麗捨宮的研究專家們也在思考換眼鏡背後的象徵意味。這副眼鏡是復古的樣式，所以，這是“玫瑰色調的懷舊”嗎？新聞頻道France 24問道。新聞週刊《新觀察者》(Le Nouvel Observateur)的專欄作家布魯諾·羅格-波蒂(Bruno Roger-Petit)認爲，這副眼鏡顯然是對20世紀六七十年代便開始擔任政客的雅克·希拉剋(Jacques Chirac)的風格致敬，那段時期正值法國的黃金時代。它“承載了與被認爲是積極進取的過去時光的聯繫，是對一個樂趣被禁止也被征服的時代的懷舊”。（其實上一位戴林德伯格牌眼鏡的法國領導人是奧朗德的同僚、社會主義者里昂內·喬斯班[Lionel Jospin]，他於1997年至2002年擔任首相；希拉剋是戴高樂黨，即共和聯盟的創始人）。

What has not come up in all the discussions is the price of the glasses: $1,300, according to Peter Warrer, Lindberg’s director of sales and marketing. That seems like a fair amount to spend on frames for a president who ran on the idea of a 75 percent “millionaires tax.”

爭議中沒有涉及眼鏡的價格——根據林德伯格的市場銷售部門主管彼得·沃勒(Peter Warrer)，這副眼鏡售價1300美元。對於一位提出徵收75%稅率的“百萬富翁稅”的總統來說，這可是一筆不小的數字。

Since the brouhaha began, the Élysée Palace has been engaged in some damage control, hinting to the disgruntled local manufacturers that the president would try out their brands as well, which leads to the somewhat unsettling picture of Mr. Hollande changing glasses daily, simply to prove his evenhandedness. This might work to satisfy his various constituencies, but if I were his adviser, I would argue against it, as it seems to open the door to all sort of potential flip-flopping charges. Better, really, to demonstrate a consistent point of view through dress.

這場喧鬧開始以來，愛麗捨宮就忙於將此事的損害降至最低，向不滿的本國眼鏡製造商們暗示，總統也會嘗試他們的品牌，這在某種程度上給人一種混亂的感覺，好像奧德朗得每天換眼鏡，只爲證明自己是公平的。這或許能令他的選民們感到滿意，但如果我是他的顧問，我會表示反對，這有可能令人們指責他喜歡變卦。其實更好的辦法還是通過着裝展現出持續性。

(The sheer existence of l’affair lunettes suggests that perhaps Mr. Hollande’s advisers are not as canny when it comes to image as they might be, and maybe the French should take a cue from the British, and start luring American spin doctors like David Axelrod and Jim Messina across the channel, because they are already across the Atlantic.)

（奧朗德眼鏡事件表明奧朗德的顧問們或許也不是表面看上去那麼能幹，或許法國人應該聽聽英國人的指點，僱用海峽對岸的大衛·阿里克爾洛德[David Axelrod]和吉姆·梅西納[Jim Messina]等來自美國的政府媒體顧問，他們已經從大西洋彼岸來到歐洲了。）

Possibly the fact that Mr. Hollande has actually been wearing Lindberg glasses for the last four years according to the company (those rimless numbers were theirs) might have led everyone involved to conclude the change of glasses would make no difference. My guess, however, is that they were a pre-existing condition on his election, and therefore not up for debate ... until he decided to change. At which point the manufacturers felt free to point out that he should have seized the day, and decision, to support French business.

林德伯格公司說，其實奧朗德過去四年裏戴的都是該公司的產品，包括之前那副無框眼鏡。或許這個事實能讓所有參與者得出結論：這次換眼鏡其實沒什麼大不了的。不過我猜想，在他選舉上任之前就已經戴這個牌子的眼鏡了，那時候根本沒有引起什麼爭議……直到這次他換眼鏡。如今他換了眼鏡，眼鏡公司們才紛紛指摘他應該把握機會，做出決定，支持國貨。

Indeed, I’m surprised he hadn’t considered it. I mean, it’s not as if Mr. Hollande is a stranger to issues of sartorial spin, or the importance of the right pair of eyeglasses.

事實上，我很驚訝他居然沒考慮到這一點。我的意思是，奧朗德似乎對服裝公關並不陌生，也瞭解一副好眼鏡的重要性。

He ran on an election platform of “Mr. Normal,” after all: his blandness and slightly rumpled suits the visual counterpoint to the Nicolas Sarkozy “President Bling-Bling” schtick. And to get there Mr. Hollande nevertheless underwent his own pre-campaign makeover under the tutelage of his former partner, Valérie Trierweiler, who helped him lose weight and settle on those rimless, rectangular Lindbergs. (Previously he had worn rounder, more goggly- eyed styles.)

畢竟，在選舉期間，他把自己塑造爲“普通人”形象：他平易近人，穿着稍微有點皺的西裝，在視覺上正好和尼古拉·薩科齊(Nicolas Sarkozy)那種“Bling-Bling總統”的噱頭形象截然相反。爲此，奧朗德在前伴侶瓦萊麗·特里埃維勒(Valérie Trierweiler)幫助下設計了選舉期間的形象，她還幫他減肥，選了那些無邊的長方形林德伯格眼鏡（更早以前，他戴的是更圓、更突出眼珠的樣式）。

This suggests that the most recent glasses flipper-roo may actually have had to do with shedding some emotional baggage when Mr. Hollande’s relationship with Ms. Trierweiler went south, a motivating factor that thus far has not been raised in the discussion. We have all been there, after all: dumping T-shirts or even shoes that remind us unhappily of a former lover. Indeed, Mr. Warrer seems to think this may be the case, seeing Mr. Hollande’s switch as a sign “he wanted to renew himself.”

也就是說，最近奧朗德換眼鏡，其實可能和他與特里埃維勒每況愈下的感情糾葛有關，迄今這個動機在討論中尚沒有人提起。畢竟我們都經歷過這種事——扔掉衣服或鞋子，只因爲它們讓我們想起令人不快的老情人。其實，沃勒似乎也是這麼想的，他覺得奧朗德換眼鏡是“他想重新開始”的信號。

But in the end, and whatever the motivation and the mistakes involved, the kerfuffle shows that it’s not just first ladies who are seen as potential billboards for local industry (remember the outcry in the United States when Michelle Obama wore Alexander McQueen to the China state dinner?), but first executives, too.

但是，不管動機如何，不管出了什麼錯，這次的風波表明，不僅是第一夫人們纔會成爲國產工業潛在的宣傳公告牌（還記得米歇爾·奧巴馬[Michelle Obama]穿亞歷山大·麥昆[Alexander McQueen]時裝出席中國國宴時，美國上下一片譁然的景象嗎？），首席執政者也有同樣的功能。

At a time when the global economy dictates that every possible tool in a national arsenal be used to increase employment and promote industry, it’s a part of the job (admittedly unwritten) that should be taken seriously. Fact is, unlike Freud’s supposed remark that sometimes a cigar is only a cigar, in politics a new accessory is never just a new accessory. It’s always a symbol. No matter which gender it’s on.

當今，全球經濟形式令國家需要動用所有手段去增進就業，宣傳本國工業，這也成爲領導人工作中（不成文）的一部分，必須被嚴肅對待。事實是，雖然弗洛伊德說過，有時候一支雪茄就是一支雪茄（指研究中就事論事，不過度引申——譯註），但在政治當中，一個新配飾的意義永遠不僅僅是一個新配飾而已。它永遠都具有象徵意義，不管佩戴它的是男人還是女人。