Music producer Pharrell williams has found a new way to draw negative attention to himself. He swapped his ridiculous designer mountie hat for a traditional Indian headdress — and Native American Indians are not pleased with his fashion faux pas.
From E! Online:
For the special collector’s cover edition of Elle U.K.’s July 2014 issue, the “Happy” singer ditches his trademark Vivienne Westwood Buffalo hat for “an elaborate Native American headdress,” as the mag describes it in a press release.
Not everyone saw the artistic value in Pharrell’s choice of headwear, and not long after images from the shoot hit the web, Twitter users came together to voice their frustrations under the hashtag #NotHappy.
In response, the 41-year-old musical guru (who previously spoke to O, The Oprah Magazine about his Native American and Egyptian heritages) told E! News in a statement, “I respect and honor every kind of race, background and culture. I am genuinely sorry.”
@Pharrell You have no right to wear a warbonnet. They are sacred to my Tribe. Stop perpetuating racist appropriation of Native culture.
— Ruth Hopkins (@_RuthHopkins) June 4, 2014
We shouldn't be surprised when Pharrell, a colorblind racist employs cultural appropriation & perpetuates the oppression of 1st Nations Ppls
— Khadijah J Here2Slay (@Pundit_AcadEMIC) June 5, 2014
@Pharrell its unoriginal to be racist. Stealing Indigenous culture makes us #NOThappy. Native people r #NotYourMascot http://t.co/PYnXCeBpyJ
— Edyael Casaperalta (@_edyael_) June 4, 2014
So, @Pharrell's "new black" must have given him a good reason to appropriate other people's culture on @ELLEmagazine cover #racist
— Schon Duncan (@KidKloud_) June 4, 2014
@Pharrell uses his celebrity, like many other ppl, to keep Natives enslaved to racist images #NotYourMascot @ELLEmagazine or @Redskins
— Jennie Bea (@IndigeniusIdeas) June 4, 2014
How is wearing a Native American headdress 'racist'? I see you're wearing italian leather shoes, how racist of you. @Pharrell
— Lewis (@Lewis_Goodger) June 5, 2014
