Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
National

Buffy Sainte-Marie Calls Headdresses As Fashion Trend 'Painful,' 'Disgusting'

The Canadian Press, 06 Aug, 2015 11:04 AM
    TORONTO — Buffy Sainte-Marie has seen fashion-conscious fans show up to concerts wearing headdresses as a trendy statement — and she's seen enough.
     
    "When it comes to things like headdresses, there are some things that are actually, factually, personally, deeply cultural to our heritage," the 74-year-old musical innovator said in an interview in Toronto this week.
     
    "To some guy who's got models in high heels, bikini bottoms, pasties and a big headdress, and everybody's drunk — I want people to understand why that is painful or disgusting, why that is negative to us.
     
    "It'd be like if you really loved your grandmother or your mom and all of a sudden you're watching wrestling on TV and you see your mom's picture on some wrestler's crotch.
     
    "It's inappropriate. It's not funny. It doesn't help."
     
    For the past few years, headdresses have become a popular — and controversial — fashion accessory. The trend seems to rear its ugly head with particular frequency at summer music festivals.
     
    Jessica Simpson flaunted a headdress on Instagram, Pharrell Williams in the pages of Elle UK, Karlie Kloss on a Victoria's Secret runway, Gwen Stefani in a music video, and Vanessa Hudgens at Coachella.
     
    Recently, festivals have fought back against the misguided trend. Osheaga, WayHome, Boots and Hearts, Heavy Montreal, Ile Soniq and the Edmonton Folk Festival have all issued bans in various forms on the fake indigenous headwear.
     
    Still, Sainte-Marie says the trend endures.
     
    "We see it a lot in Europe, especially in Germany," said Sainte-Marie, who was recently shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize for her fiery album "Power in the Blood."
     
    "You see these people showing up and they have handmade, craftsy, fake headdress-like things, and they somehow think they're paying us a compliment.
     
    "But we let them know."
     
    Still, Sainte-Marie — the decorated owner of an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Gemini and two Juno Awards — stops short of calling for an outright ban.
     
    She just wants anyone donning a headdress to understand how it will make an aboriginal person feel.
     
    "I don't tell people what to do," she said.
     
    "If you're still going to be a jerk, that's OK, but we want you to know that there are some things that are part of our cultural heritage that mean a lot to us.
     
    "I think it's mostly ignorance," she added. "I think most people who are doing that probably haven't given it much thought."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Ontario Premier Rails Against Harper For Anticipated Early Election Call

    Ontario Premier Rails Against Harper For Anticipated Early Election Call
    One of Canada's most prominent politicians is lambasting the idea of an early federal election call as "unnecessary" and an affront to taxpayers who will foot the bill.

    Ontario Premier Rails Against Harper For Anticipated Early Election Call

    No Winning Ticket For $10.4-million Jackpot In Saturday's Lotto 6-49 Draw

    TORONTO — No one has the winning ticket for the $10.4-million jackpot in Saturday night's Lotto 6-49 draw.

    No Winning Ticket For $10.4-million Jackpot In Saturday's Lotto 6-49 Draw

    Peter Fassbender Eyes New Plan For Translink, Focuses On Public Confidence

    VANCOUVER — One of Premier Christy Clark's most respected ministers is vowing to restore confidence in Metro Vancouver's transit authority plagued by ongoing criticism and the recent defeat at the polls of a multibillion-dollar transportation plan. 

    Peter Fassbender Eyes New Plan For Translink, Focuses On Public Confidence

    Verdict In Canadian Journalist Mohamed Fahmy's Re-trial Postponed Until Aug. 29

    CAIRO — An Egyptian court postponed announcing a verdict in the much criticized case of Mohamed Fahmy once again on Sunday — a move the Canadian journalist described as "crippling."

    Verdict In Canadian Journalist Mohamed Fahmy's Re-trial Postponed Until Aug. 29

    Abbotsford Police Issue Public Warning About Sex Offender James Conway

    Abbotsford Police Issue Public Warning About Sex Offender James Conway
    Forty-year-old James Conway is six feet four inches tall, weighs 240 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes

    Abbotsford Police Issue Public Warning About Sex Offender James Conway

    Man Attacked By A Group Of Men Outside Metrotown Shopping Centre In Burnaby

    Man Attacked By A Group Of Men Outside Metrotown Shopping Centre In Burnaby
    The victim suffered serious head injuries and was rushed to hospital after the attack just outside The Bay before 2 a.m.

    Man Attacked By A Group Of Men Outside Metrotown Shopping Centre In Burnaby