via Philippine Star, 25 July 2023: A Philippine celebrity’s gala look stirs controversy as she wears centuries-old gold jewelry from Butuan and Surigao, made from what is thought to be funerary masks from looted contexts. For some context, you can read about the death masks from Iloilo here.
29 July 2023 Update: More news coverage of the criticism has since emerged, and is indexed in the post below. To date, the celebrity has not offered comment.
Marian claimed in her Facebook post that Beauty wore “grave robber stuff.”
“Because if these were legally excavated, the pieces would belong to the National Museum or the Bangko Sentral,” Marian said.
“Or: if the pieces were excavated decades ago and therefore privately owned by sensible collectors before current restrictions, the question still remains: why death masks as necklace?” she added.
See also:
- Philippine actress Beauty Gonzalez accused of ‘grave robbery’ over wearing ‘ancestral’ gold jewellery | South China Morning Post, 27 July 2023
- ‘Fashion Victim:’ Beauty Gonzalez’s Century-old Jewelry Sparks Debate | CosmoPH, 27 July 2023
- Fashion Faux Pas: Philippine actress accused of ‘grave robbery’ for wearing ancestral gold jewellery | FirstPost, 27 July 2023
- Beauty Gonzalez criticized for wearing excavated gold jewelry in GMA Gala 2023 | GMA News, 26 July 2023
- Beauty Gonzalez’s excavated gold jewelry sparks outrage | Rappler, 26 July 2023
- Beauty Gonzalez gets flak for using gold pieces from ‘desecrated graves’ | Philippine Inquirer, 26 July 2023
- Beauty Gonzalez gets flak for wearing gold excavated artifacts at the GMA Gala 2023 | Philstar, 26 July 2023
- Beauty Gonzalez’s GMA Gala look pays homage to Philippine ancestral gold | GMA, 23 July 2023
