Buzova VS Simonyan

Iryna Khalip
11.04.2025, 8:42
18,186

Belarusians need a vaccine against bad taste.

I saw outraged posts from Belarusians on social media and couldn't believe that the cause of their anger was real. I thought it must have been an April Fool’s joke: the Belarusian brand Mark Formelle was being advertised by the Russian celebrity Olga Buzova from Dom-2 TV-show. Of course, it had to be a joke. April 1st is the perfect time to make fun of Buzova. Especially since the Belarusian media reports on the matter were accompanied by comments like “Olga Buzova – the star impossible to ignore.”

Surely, this was just one big prank. The company, along with the media, had conspired to launch a massive April Fool’s hoax. And how else could it be? On April 1st, the Mark Formelle Telegram channel posted a message announcing that Buzova was the company’s new creative director. We all had a laugh—no harm done, April 2nd was just around the corner.

But on April 7th, Mark Formelle presented a new collection called “I Can Do Anything!” And there she was—Buzova, the new face of the brand. Her portraits and quotes even appeared on T-shirts. Just listen to these gems: “I love you, my darlings”; “Your words mean nothing”; “If it seems like something is happening—it is”; “Hello, hello, I am no longer available”; “But my world hasn’t collapsed without you, while you sit idle.” Sorry, but that’s as much as I can quote before my own world crumbles completely.

Perhaps the Mark Formelle management thinks that all intelligent Belarusians have left the country and now tailors its advertising solely for those who would actually buy T-shirts with Buzova’s quotes? Or maybe, given the repressions that can strike anyone, they’re just trying to cover their bases? Think about it: security forces show up, see a Buzova T-shirt, and ask, “Hey, can you give us her number?” Then they leave. Or maybe they’ll think: “If these guys chose Buzova for their campaign, they must be one of us—socially loyal, not the rebellious type. Let’s induct them into ‘Belaya Rus’ and send them to a state-organized cleanup day.” They salute and walk away. Whichever way you look at it, it’s a win-win for the company. Sure, customers might scatter in different directions, but that’s a minor detail.

Do you remember the former face of the Conte brand, Volha Khizhynkava? A beauty queen, Miss Belarus 2008, and a volunteer who helped rescue homeless animals. For years, she was the main face of the company’s advertisements. When you bought a pair of tights, you saw her photo on the packaging. You’d think, “If I put on these tights, maybe I’ll have legs like Khizhynkava’s.”

Then, Volha joined the protests. She attended every march and, in November 2020, ended up in prison. She was sentenced three times in a row, spending 42 days in detention. Women released from the infamous Akrestina detention center later recalled how Volha helped wash the hair of homeless women who ended up in her cell. Her composure and resilience impressed all her cellmates.

While Volha was behind bars, the Conte Instagram account featured a new face: Russian gymnast Laysan Utyasheva in black tights. Belarusians were outraged. They flooded the comments, canceling their orders, demanding Khizhinkava’s return, and threatening to boycott Conte. They even took to Utyasheva’s Instagram to explain, in clear terms, why her collaboration with the company was unacceptable.

Conte feebly responded that it was only a temporary change, but deep down, its leadership probably breathed a sigh of relief at having distanced itself from a dangerous “troublemaker.” Utyasheva, for her part, claimed she had no idea about the situation. I don’t know who buys those tights now.

But I do know that Buzova’s quotes on Belarusian T-shirts are more dangerous than Solovyov, Simonyan, and Kiselyov combined. Because Belarusians already have immunity to propaganda. The Russian TV machine can scream 24/7, and it won’t make a difference.

However, the infiltration of Russian pop culture and other symbols of poor taste into Belarusian reality is a serious problem. We’ve grown accustomed to the cozy, charming T-shirts, shorts, and knitwear from Mark Formelle. And many Belarusians, out of habit, inertia, or simply a lack of awareness, might start buying this garbage. Walking around town in a Buzova T-shirt. And from there, it’s just a short step to Wagner Group recruitment.

Buzova VS Simonyan

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