Stereotypical "Run Wild" fashion shoot

Here's a typical fashion shoot involving the misappropriation of Native cultures. Such things probably happen every week, if not every day. This one is mildly interesting because of the blogger's gushing comments. She seems blissfully ignorant of her stereotypical thinking and the white privilege that permits it.

RUN WILD Photoshoot

Indians (…which i’m sure is not the politically correct thing to call them…but sounds WAY cooler than Native Americans…lol) are the TRUE Americans! Thanksgiving is one of my least favorite holidays b/c for me it’s a celebration of us basically robbing the Indians blind! I don’t want to be a negative Nancy…so what I can say is that Indians and their wardrobes are SUPER CHIC! I want to be a high chief…and have the BIGGEST feather head piece…I would be a GREAT head chief…lol!

ps. I think living in a Tee Pee would be fun!!! Mine would be hot pink : )And:The headdress and beaded breast plate were made by actual Indians…I am completely obsessed with these and plan to get some for my every day wardrobe ASAP!!And:Indians know magic…they know the power of the earth…they ARE magic! <3

Comment:  The whole thing reeks of the same condescending "respect" people give to Indian mascots. "The noble savage...so wise and brave...too bad he died out a century ago. We can't do anything about Indians now, so there's no point in bothering. Even learning the bare minimum about them is too much work.

"But we can admire the heck out of their dead ancestors. That makes up for robbing and killing them. It makes us feel good about ourselves, and that's what matters."

On top of the cultural theft and stereotyping in the photos and text, there's the whole "run wild" theme. Presumably these people think Indians are like animals, running wild and free like the deer and buffalo. It couldn't be clearer that Indians are colorful objects to them, like museum pieces, not a vital part of today's society.

For a primer on what's wrong with wearing a headdress, see Why Hipster Headdresses Aren't Okay. For more on the subject, see Top 10 Native Fashion Misappropriations and Racist Costumes = White Privilege.