my entire life is cute.

ohmyfurandwhiskers:

feministslut:

feministfury:

i dont understand how this is so offending.

i think that the headress is very beautiful, and that makes me a RACIST how?

The headdress is beautiful. Admitting that/admiring the craftsmanship that went into making the headdress is not racist.

However, the picture itself is directly related to colonialism. It is a white woman using a part of a culture she is not from in a photo shoot (for what, I have no clue). This picture clearly points to the privilege that she CAN wear things from other cultures without knowing the meaning behind them, misrepresenting/destroying those cultures, and making those cultures a trend in mainstream culture (the one that controls the hegemonic structures). This picture points to the notion that ALL Native American cultures are the same. When you see the picture, you think of “Native Americans” or “Indians” (yeah, a lot of USers still consider Native Americans Indians). The picture is culturally insensitive. The same way every single Native American mascot in sports, Native American portrayals in media, etc. is directly from colonialism and imperialism. All of those are also culturally insensitive and I am sure you would agree they are incredibly problematic. Why wouldn’t this photo also be culturally insensitive and problematic? It derives from the same roots as everything else I just mentioned. It is a direct result of colonialism and demonstrates colonialism is present in todays society. Thinking there is nothing wrong with this picture is racist.

I have no doubt in my mind, other people have answered the question better than I have.

I would just like to add to this that none of us know this particular woman’s genealogy. It is likely that she’s “just another white female model” wearing a headdress that she may or may not have any connection to at all. However, my grandmother looked very “white” but her mother was approximately half-Shawnee and growing up, my mother had several pieces of Native American art that both my great-grandmother and grandmother had sculpted and painted. I don’t claim to be any certain percentage of Native American as I am now estranged from my family and don’t feel as if I have any rights to a claim for such a small percent of my blood. Also, I look most like my father, and he has no Native American ancestors at all, so if you were to look at me, you would likely just see some white girl. If I were to have symbols of the Shawnee culture in my apartment, however, or wore jewelry or had those sculptures and paintings, I may be treated as if I’m being offensive although I know that I would be honoring my ancestors. Or, my goodness, what would you say if I had the photograph of my great-great-grandmother that was taken shortly before she died, in her furs, leather skirt, feathers, and moccasins.

It’s something to consider, anyway…

Yes this is true, but there’s a difference between wearing something because it looks cool and between wearing something because it has to do with your religion/culture. I mean, from my (admittedly small) studies of Native American culture, the only people who wear feathered headdresses (pictured above) are the leaders, heads of state, the holy men, those who have earned it and it’s a status symbol of great respect. So,  this (presumably white girl) wearing the headress coupled with the fact that we have essentially destroyed and dehomed and ruined these people is extremely awful.

The photo is pretty. What it implies is not.

(Source: cigarettepolitics)