Los Angeles Magazine's "Going Native"

ICYMI: “Fall Fashion: Your Guide to Going Native”: Los Angeles Magazine Celebrates Cultural Misappropriation

By Kelly HolmesTwo days ago, Los Angeles Magazine posted an article sharing what’s trending this fall with a headline that certainly rang cultural appropriation.

The style article, which was posted under the magazine’s ‘The Clutch‘ column, displayed the apparent Native-inspired trend craze set for fall with the initial title “Fall Fashion: Your Guide to Going Native.”

The article claimed “Feathers aren’t going anywhere; fringe continues to swing. Designers look once again to the American West for inspiration,” accompanied by a Boticca feather necklace, Burberry fringe clutch, and DSquared2 sandals.

As the post came to light, Los Angeles Magazine received backlash for the offensive headline and article.

Concepción Lara @lowsell
"Going Native" implies Indigeneity is 1) chosen and 2) temporary. Utilizing Cher's photo furthers the erasure of Native people. @LA_mag

In response, the magazine changed their headline to “Fall Fashion: Feathers and Fringe” with the explanation “An earlier version of this story had a poorly phrased headline. We apologize.”

However, they did not address or remove the photo of Cher dressed as the stereotypical “Pocahottie” nor did they address their glorification of cultural misappropriation. Despite their claim of “We’ve heard your feedback, and you’re right,” they missed the point of the initial backlash, which did not escape the notice of Twitter.

Mariana @MarianaThinks
@LA_mag oh no. Take the whole article down. Why not support authentic Native American designers? Not overpriced and fake products.Comment:  The tweets above are just examples of the criticism the magazine received.

Using Cher was kind of silly since the photo was 40-50 years. It may have represented the concept of "going Native," since Cher has tried to pass as Native over the years. But it didn't represent "fall fashion" unless they meant some fall in the late 1960s.

And yes, using Cher as a "Pocahottie" only furthers the sexualization of Native women. No real Native women dress this way, so it's not "going Native" so much as "going stereotypical." It's nothing more than a white man's (or woman's) fantasy of Native fashion.

For more on Cher, see Cher in a Headdress, Again.

"Tribal Council" on Dance Moms

Confuse 'Em While They're Young: 'Dance Moms' Puts Headdress on 13-Year-OldThe Lifetime TV series Dance Moms did a full-on parody of Native culture on Tuesday night when five girls in the Abby Lee Dance Company competed for their instructor's approval in a number called "Tribal Council." According to the recap at Glamorosi,

The group will do a Native American-inspired jazz routine called "Tribal Council"--Abby got the idea for the number after seeing Cher in concert.

Fast-forward to the actual performance, in which a 13-year-old girl named Nia gets the lead role. As described by Glamorosi:

The group competes first with their "Tribal Council" routine; they wear two-piece costumes that are red with gold trim, except for Nia, who wears gold with red trim. They all wear face paint and headpieces; Nia wears a full headdress, and they all take turns dancing on a large drum. This is, of course, culturally inappropriate, and I'm surprised it got by the producers, but I do not fault the girls.

Here's a clip of the dance number from Lifetime's YouTube channel:On the show's Facebook page, the issue of cultural appropriation has been brought up by a number of viewers. Here's one comment:

As a native woman I think it's disrespectful. And frankly I always complain when famous people try to make our culture a fashion choice. Learn real ways to respect a native. The headdress is stupid, the face paint is stupid.Comment:  So Abby Lee got the idea of stereotyping Indians from Cher's stereotyping of Indians? Wow, that's brilliant...not.

Next time you want to imitate a minstrel performance, maybe you should think twice about it. Duhhh.

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.

Cher in a headdress

Here's more evidence that wearing a headdress to make a splash isn't a new or recent phenomenon:

Sonny and Cher, together againDec. 16, 1976: Sonny and Cher clasp hands playfully in their first joint concert appearance in three years. Their performance was part of the annual KHJ Christmas benefit at the Forum in Inglewood.

Comment:  People have questioned whether Cher is part Indian for decades. The last thing I recall seeing said she may be a tiny part Cherokee. But Wikipedia lists her mother as being Cherokee first, before English or French.

CherHer father, John Sarkisian, was an Armenian refugee who worked as a truck driver. Her mother, Georgia Holt (born Jackie Jean Crouch in Sharp County, Arkansas, on June 20, 1927), an aspiring actress and occasional model, is of Cherokee, English, and French descent.A lot of website repeat this information, sometimes putting Cherokee last instead of first. But some sites say she isn't Indian at all:

Ancestry of CherCher is usually described as being (part-)Cherokee, but none of her currently-known ancestors are described as anything other than White.CherCher has repeatedly said that all claims of her being part-Cherokee are false.Whether she's part Cherokee or not, she shouldn't be wearing a Plains headdress. I hope she knows better now than she did then.

For more on the subject, see:

The Hipster Headdress Challenge
Indian wannabes = celebrity wannabes
The "honor" of a Plains chief
Why hipster headdresses aren't okay