Dolce and Gabbana Hit for 'Synthetic Babies' Comment But Get Support From Actress Zoe Saldana
"Guardians of the Galaxy" actress Zoe Saldana has come to the defense of Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana who drew heavy flak, even from celebrities, for saying that babies born through the assisted reproductive technology in vitro fertilization, or IVF, could be considered "synthetic."
The two top designers of the luxury-fashion Italian brand Dolce & Gabbana were earlier quoted as telling the Italian magazine Panorama, as translated by The Telegraph, that they "oppose gay adoptions" and that "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," they were quoted as saying.
Dolce, 56, who grew up from a traditional Sicilian family, reportedly said: "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; rented uterus, semen chosen from a catalog."
Gabbana, 52, posted an "apologetic message" to Instagram after being hit for their comments, The Daily Mail reported.
"We firmly believe in democracy and the fundamental principle of freedom of expression that upholds it. We talked about our way of seeing reality, but it was never our intention to judge other people's choices," his post read. "We do believe in freedom and love."
He also told CNN earlier this week: "We love gay couple. We are gay. We love gay couple. We love gay adoption. We love everything. It's just an express of my private point of view."
After the two top designers made their comments, critics, including a number of A-list celebrities such as singers Elton John and Madonna, declared that they were boycotting the brand.
However, Saldana said boycotting the luxury-fashion Italian brand Dolce & Gabbana over their comment on babies is the "stupidest thing."
"That would be the stupidest thing if it affected my fashion choice," the 36-year-old actress was quoted by The Daily Mail during the 2015 GLAAD Media Awards in Beverly Hills on Saturday.
"People are allowed to their own opinion, however, I wouldn't have chosen to be so public about something that's such a personal thing," explained Saldana, who is usually clothed with Dolce & Gabbana creations.
Saldana maintained that the designers' perspectives should not be made fuss of. "Obviously it caused some sensitivity, but then again if you continue to follow the news, you see they all kinda hugged it out, so why are we making a big deal about it?" she said.
The designers' views will not alter her wardrobe, Saldana said. "I'm certainly not going to stop wearing Dolce, and I'm certainly not going to be refuting when they are adopting synthetic children, however they wanted to say it. I do think things are lost in translation," she said.
The actress, who also starred in "Avatar" and the two recent "Star Trek" films, said her husband, Italian artist Marco Perego, "misuses" English words.
"My husband is from Italy, and if I judged him based on the words that he misuses in our English language he wouldn't be here today," Zoe continued. "It's like look people, have a drink, relax, it's okay."
Saldana has been married to Perego, 36, since June 2013. The pair welcomed their first children, twins Cy and Bowie, in November last year.