hipster headdresses

The “hipster headdress” is a fairly recent pop culture phenomenon. Painted or dyed feathers often adorn the heads of (overwhelmingly white) celebrities as well as non-famous hipsters. Many arguments are made to defend the non-racism of the hipster headdress, mostly about “honoring Native culture” as if all indigenous people are from one huge tribe. In practice, these ridiculous dyed-feather monstrosities are actually very disrespectful and ignorant “fashion statements.” Actress Juliette Lewis recently formed a band called Juliette and the Licks; in every performance and every picture of the band, she is wearing a tribal-style headband with feathers attached as well as “war paint” on her face.

A lot of people don't realize that American Indians still exist, or that we don't all live in teepees. Indigenous people are rarely visible in mainstream culture, and when something “tribal” pops up it's usually a non-Native person dressing up and “playing Indian.” This cultural phenomenon sends a few different messages to various audiences, mainly that this type of racebending is acceptable, edgy and fashionable—but also that Indians don't exist anymore and are a thing of the past.

Hipster headdresses are problematic for a few reasons. First, they create a stereotypical image of Indian people. There are 565 federally recognized tribes in the United States and even more in Canada—diversity absolutely exists within Indian Country. Second, headdress-wearing hipsters are essentially dressing up as someone from another race. Blackface is no longer socially acceptable; why is it okay to wear a feather headdress, moccasins, warpaint, etc.? Third, we DO still exist. Indians tend to be invisible in today's society; many people assume that we are Italian, French Canadian, Asian, Latino/a, etc.

While hipsters may assure everyone that they're “honoring” Native Americans by wearing headdresses, we really don't feel honored by privileged hipsters co-opting something like the headdress—something that a) not all tribes used and b) actually had a purpose other than being “cute.” If you're a non-Native resident of North America and find yourself wearing or wanting to wear a headdress, stop and think about what you're doing, who is affected and whether it's really worth it to insult a group of people who were here for centuries before you and your ancestors.