"Happy" singer Pharrell Williams is under fire for donning a Native American warrior bonnet on the cover of the July 2014 issue of lifestyle and entertainment magazine, Elle UK. The singer expressed his apology over the controversy by initiating a #NotHappy campaign on Twitter and by releasing an official apology through Buzzfeed. "I am genuinely sorry. I respect and honour every kind of race, background and culture," he says. The apology was not reprinted elsewhere on websites affiliated with the singer.
Pharrell's signature look has always included his mountie hat designed by highly-acclaimed fashion designer, Vivienne Westwood. According to a website posting since edited on the Elle UK website regarding the photoshoot, Pharrell was allegedly persuaded to "trade his Vivienne Westwood mountie hat for a Native American feather headdress in his best ever shoot." The photoshoot message was later altered to: "We persuaded [Pharrell] ... to collaborate with us on his best ever shoot."
The release of the magazine cover apparently ignited criticisms over social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. According to Twitter user Gail Lichtsinn, the warrior chieftain headgear "are earned and not worn to make a buck or draw attention. They have meaning and are worn by our men with pride and dignity."
This sentiment was later echoed by the Indian Country Today Media Network. Although Williams stresses he has some Native American blood, the Indian Country Today Media Network insists that the warrior bonnet, also known as the eagle-feather war bonnet, is a ceremonial item to various Native American tribes and it is earned "over the course of one's lifetime." Only 12 of 562 federally registered tribes in the United States make use of the eagle-feather war bonnet.
This is not the first time the singer found himself in hot water. Sometime in 2013, Pharrell was identified as a co-creator of Robin Thicke's music video for Blurred Lines which featured various women. He was later accused of being a misogynist prompting him to release a statement about the creation of the video. Pharrell insists, "I didn't do anything sexually suggestive to any of [the women in the video]."
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