Martin accused of cultural appropriation for headdress photo
Less than a week after comedian Kevin Hart was met with accusations of cultural insensitivity after throwing his son a Cowboys-and-Indians-themed birthday party, singer Ricky Martin is being accused of cultural appropriation for wearing a Native American headdress in an Instagram photo.
The Livin’ La Vida Loca singer and Assassination Of Gianni Versace star, who has been at work in the recording studio, struck a pose recently while wearing a feathered Lakota headdress and aviator sunglasses. He captioned in the picture: “What happens in Miami...... ends up on IG.” It’s not clear if Martin was trying to strike a Village People vibe but the comment section lit up with accusations of cultural appropriation and counterarguments about “being offended for the sake of being offended”.
“As I see it, here are two ways of being, the first one is getting offended over everything even though you don’t have a complete context, the second one is enjoying that people is sharing part of another culture,” wrote @karylt88. “When foreign people come to Colombia and use our ponchos, ruanas or sombreros vueltiaos, I see them and I think: ‘Oh, they look so cute!’ And it makes me incredibly happy that they are enjoying our ways of dressing and wanting to explore it, it doesn’t come from a place of disrespect, but from a place of caring, curiosity and togetherness.”
Fellow commenter @Charlenepetra firmly disagreed in the case of the headdress. (The war bonnet, as it is known, is viewed as a symbol of respect and courage among American Plains Indians Nations. Wearing it is a right that must be earned.) “Even within Native communities from the plains, not everyone is allowed to wear the headdress,” she argued. “Not only is it cultural appropriation of a culture that’s been crushed for centuries but also it’s desecrating a spirituality.”
The singer, who was raised in Puerto Rico, told Spain’s ABC Magazine that his ancestors came from that country’s Basque region and the Canary Islands. In @Charlenepetra’s estimation, Martin wearing the headdress “probably doesn’t come from a place of disrespect, but it comes from a place of utter ignorance”.
In an effort to break the tension, @ Buckytomko took a lighter tone: “Hey, Ricky. Dude, you’re beautiful, but wearing a native headdress is super uncool. Please don’t. Let’s face it, you’re better not wearing much of anything.” A representative for Martin did not immediately return a request for comment.