Cher in a headdress, again

Cher Turns Back Time on opening night of Dressed to Kill tour in Phoenix

By Jess WilsonThe 67-year-old singer proved she's still got it when she bounded onto the stage in a replica leotard from her 1989 Heart of Stone tour.

Several wardrobe changes included a gold gladiator-style frock with a long blonde wig, and a full Native American-style get-up.

Activist Gray Wolf posted this photo along with his comments:WELL HERE WE GO AGAIN! seems like this should have been stopped a long time ago but here she is "honoring" Native people with her insulting and disrespectful "Native" inspired outfit! ... I already see the defense of Cher by those who "love" her...even to the point of saying this is no big deal because she did it before and no one said anything about it so I guess that makes it okay now? people seem to forget that Native people have NOT had a voice for quite some time and now that we have found it, WE PLAN TO USE IT!Others chimed in:Cher is an American singer. She was born Cherilyn Sarkisian. Her father, John Paul Sarkisian, was born in California, to Armenian parents; he worked as a truck driver. Her mother, Jackie Jean Crouch, was of English and German, with more distant Irish, Dutch, and French, descent. Cher is also stated to have Cherokee Native American ancestry on her mother’s side, but no Cherokee Native American ancestors are documented on any publicly available genealogies of Cher.

If she were "part" Native which I sincerely doubt, then she should KNOW better than to disrespect Native culture with such an insulting outfit! The defense of such behavior usually comes from those that do not have a clue as to what Native culture and tradition is really all about!

I don't understand the comments saying this is honoring anyone. When the cultures and traditions in question are being grossly distorted and sexualized, isn't that pretty much the same thing as saying wearing blackface is a compliment?

Tsalagi (Cherokee) do not wear headdress....So this would still be appropriation of culture as her culture has no headdress or war bonnet....Come on folks....LOLCher on NativeCelebs

I posted the photo on the NativeCelebs page and got more comments, some of which I answered:That is why they lost, because they could not run fast enough in outfits like this.. And because they picked the wrong side. Don't forget they did pick a side in the beginning seems this is ALWAYS over looked.I hope you're kidding, Courtney. No Indian wore an outfit like this one, especially not in battle.

Y'all understand that Cherokee is a completely different culture from Lakota and other Plains Indians, right? The argument that she's Cherokee so she can wear a Plains headdress is ridiculous. It's like saying she's Greek so she can wear a kilt or she's Scottish so she can wear a toga.

The fact that people think there's only one "Native culture" and they all wear headdresses is the problem, not the solution. If this is your argument, you're part of the problem too. Quit arguing that all Indians are the same and learn the differences!So much hate in this world quit bitching and do something to inform people.We're doing that. We're informing anyone who doesn't know it that Plains costumes like this are stereotypical. That there are hundreds of tribes and most of them didn't and don't wear headdresses. That anyone who thinks there's one "Native culture" and Cher is part of it is ignorant and needs to learn the facts.Come on, Cher loves all Indian People, she has done so much for Natives all around this country!Such as what? Examples? As far as I know, she's never lifted a finger to do anything with her alleged Cherokee heritage.NATIVECELEBS: Perhaps focus on educating the general (non Native) public about Native cultures and traditions in a good way without name calling and hatred. Educate them about what you have learned from your elders.We didn't call Cher names. Your mistake if you think otherwise.

And there's no "hatred" involved in criticism. It's like saying 2+2 = 4, not 5. Correcting math problems isn't hateful and neither is correcting false or misleading stereotypes.

That's something you've never understood, which is too bad. Pointing out mistakes so people do better next time is positive. It's a matter of explaining and educating, which most people understand are necessary steps for change.

And since 99% of our postings are positive even by your definition, we aren't about to apologize for the 1% that you consider "negative." We've posted 10-15 supportive items every day for several years straight, a record no one else can match. Until someone else does even better, we don't need anyone telling us how to be positive.

P.S. Anyone who's saying Cher is half Native is sadly mistaken. 1/16th or less would be closer to the mark. Which means she's like every other Indian wannabe: not Native.

For more on the subject, see Cher in a Headdress.