Cherry On Top

[ 28 February 2010 ]

Source unknown.

Love & love & love,

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So powerful!
Style Revolution · Feb 28, 09:28 AM · #
Okay, gala, I love this feature – I am all for pretty and inspiring pictures. But “feather headdresses?” It feels like you are glamorizing cultural appropriation to me and that is, well, depressing, not inspiring.
Iris · Feb 28, 09:50 AM · #
That’s awesome. =)
Tara Melissa · Feb 28, 09:50 AM · #
The most important rule of them all!!!
cocamia · Feb 28, 09:50 AM · #
something about the image of matches…I always love them.
Alzy · Feb 28, 10:14 AM · #
All of these lessons of radical self love really helped me this month. I have autoimmune diseases and when my body attacks itself it’s hard to be happy and love myself. Reading all of these lessons of radical self love lifted my spirits greatly. My favorite part is my radical self love bible. Whenever I feel too ill to get out of bed I write and doodle in it. Even though my body causes itself grief I do love myself. Having self love will help me make it.
Niki OrangeTree · Feb 28, 10:35 AM · #
I really needed this today, as I’m battling a huge dilemma.

Should I follow my dream or do what’s reasonable and sensible?

I know the answer is obvious, but it is so much harder than it sounds…
Marthe · Feb 28, 11:04 AM · #
I would love to buy matchbooks like this for my friends at Hanukkah
Kiersten · Feb 28, 11:12 AM · #
These matches are Tocca – they come with Tocca candles. I have photographed mine in the past & for a moment, thought it WAS one of mine! :D
lulubrownskin · Feb 28, 12:29 PM · #
Hey Gala!

I love you and your blog, so I’m asking for your help!
I’m a junior in high school and prom is coming up in a couple of months. I love getting dressed up, but I hate all the old prom cliches. Every dress looks the same! So, I need some advice on how to go about finding something unique, fun, and not-too-pricey.

Could you please do a post on how you would help a girl Gala-fy her style for a night like this one?
trucdelamonde · Feb 28, 01:00 PM · #
Gala’s been writing ‘love leatters & feather headdresses’ since the start of 2010 because she just got inspired by native american culture and to trucdelamonde, she already wrote a prom article, have you people ever heard of an archive?!
Ariel Grimm · Feb 28, 02:02 PM · #
So true Gala…so true!
Danielle · Feb 28, 02:09 PM · #
I’m getting there :)
Kaz · Feb 28, 02:13 PM · #
I feel that one of the most important times to explore yourself and your thoughts is when you don’t agree or like someone or something. This is very powerful because when you figure it out it may be that you just misunderstood but now have a new appreciation for this thing you used to hate, dislike or not understand. If you find you still dislike it then you learn exactly why and you become more aware of who you are and the more you become aware of who you are and what you believe about yourself the more you can love yourself, believe in yourself and know the reasons why. I like the feather headdresses on you Gala they fit your spirit, strength and colorful life.
bleiu · Feb 28, 02:16 PM · #
As a daily reader and participant of this blog, (who has read through the archives) and as a native to the South West, I am going to agree with Iris on this one. Cultural appropriation is not cute. My friend, a member of the Navajo tribe living in San Francisco, is often insulted by the white women she sees with moccasins on. The current trend of Native American traditions as fashion for white people is more than a little disturbing. No offense is meant to anyone by this, just please be aware.
Emmi · Feb 28, 02:45 PM · #
Oh and on a less serious note, if I had that matchbook, maybe I would think twice before lighting a cigarette? I love the “cherry on top” feature, have been enjoying it thoroughly!
Emmi · Feb 28, 02:51 PM · #
@Emmi re. matches: I thought the same! Then it occurred to me that the matches might be for something else, like candles as someone else mentioned. Anyway matches make me nervous; I always think they’re going to break as I strike them, fall on the couch and set the house on fire. I generally stay away from fire (another reason you might not find me in the kitchen…)
Luana · Feb 28, 03:04 PM · #
Oh dear, I can see the p.o.v’s of both persons who made the comments re cultural appropriation. But I want to make an argument for the middle ground. We live in a era which is an amalgam of cultures and the cultural blending that goes on in art, film, music and writing, I feel paves the way for a type of inspired hybridity which is an ongoing and evolutionary process. Culture is not static, it is constantly shifting and changing and works to reflect societies at any given point in time. The words ‘feather headdresses’ do act as a certain signifier however it needs to be remembered signification is open to interpretation and therefore is not necessarily fixed to one particular idea.

Ok enough, have a lovely day. emx
Emilia Jane · Feb 28, 03:20 PM · #
Emilia Jane — I couldn’t agree more! Beautifully said. So many things I love are from cultures foreign to my own (hip hop, Indian music, Buddhist concepts, etc.), should I ignore those things because I’m a white girl from New Zealand? My life would be much less fabulous if I did! I absolutely believe that culture is something to be shared, delighted in, learned about & cherished…
Gala · Feb 28, 03:29 PM · #
I need to remember to love myself because if I don’t appreciate myself, then how will other people be able to see how awesome I am? Today, I love myself because last night I broke some silly rules that needed breaking and asked a cute boy to dance. Brave girl right here!
Kate Louise · Feb 28, 06:37 PM · #
Hi I wear moccasins, I dont see how that could offend anyone? Should I be offended when I see someone who has a Maori tattoo or a t-shirt with a Koru on it? No quite the opposite in fact – I am happy to see that people all over the world are embracing Maori imagery.
Rosie · Feb 28, 07:57 PM · #
First, congrats Kate Louise! Eee! Hurrah to you for asking a cute boy to dance! :D <3

I agree with Gala on the whole subject of the ‘feather headresses’ thing. Here’s a video response I made. http://tiny.cc/dAiSq

Sorry guys, I couldn’t type! My fingers are really in pain! >,<

Really quickly, my dad works with the Quebec Native Policing, and is the only caucasian person in the Association. We get gifts of (mostly) Cree jewelry, moccasins and get invited to many of the celebrations. No one has ever expressed their disgust at my family being there or wearing traditional mittens or taking part in the ceremonies.
TheBunnyGeek · Feb 28, 08:19 PM · #
Oh no, I was not trying to say that white people should not in any case wear things from other cultures. I was saying that when you are using something inspired by another culture, there needs to be some amount of understanding as to what you’re representing. The fashion world as a whole may be a little too broad when just borrowing at random. I absolutely agree with everyone that culture is beautiful, I just think the tradition and meaning needs to be preserved as well. Okay I’m done, I love you all!
Emmi · Feb 28, 11:04 PM · #
This was forwarded to me in my email and I thought it was perfect for the whole Radical Self-Love thing… why yes, it is in my Radical Self-Love Bible now!

Meditation for the Fully Realized Woman
I am a BEAUTIFUL WOMAN,
with a beauty that doesn’t wash off.
I earned it,
unearthed it,
rescued it like a jewel in the dust,
picked it up and made it shine.

For years, I did not see it,
though I sensed it was there.
Now it dazzles and thrives.
I am healthy, capable, independent,
strong yet still so fragile, floored by a sigh.
My body is that of a creator –
angles meeting curves,
hardness drifting into soft.

I am mother, daughter, sister,
LOVER TO MYSELF.
Embraceable and brave,
I extend my heart.
My body is home,
my home a shrine to life,
comfortable, warm and rich with treasures.
Mine is the scent of hot spices
caught in a breeze,
mine the laughter
that wings through the door.

I share myself only with those
who honor me AS I AM
and protect myself, my house,
and my time from invaders
I search for my center
in the midst of chaos,
practice peace
as wild dogs clamor in my mind.
I use power for the greater good,
release rage in neutral settings,
with no one innocent in the line of fire.

I am learning how to persist
and when to let go,
am willing to feel all emotions
their depths and exaltations,
to wake up in every nerve
and no longer am afraid of my life.
Both my beauty and strength transcend
age, time and
perhaps even this lifetime.

Each day I am new,
yet more at home in myself.
Moment by moment,
I create
my world.

~ Karen Andes
BunnyKissd · Feb 28, 11:47 PM · #
On the subject of cultural appropriation… I don’t want to post my opinion here, but I’d encourage anyone interested to read these womens’ illuminating posts on the politics of fashion at this blog threadbared.blogspot.com/
Lauren · Feb 28, 11:55 PM · #
I thought it was kinda funny that it’s a pack of matches and it says to love yourself, and people would normally use matches to light cigarettes. But, it is a lovely message.
Jacinta · Mar 1, 12:43 AM · #
Here’s the thing about cultural appropriation:

If you, pretty skinny white lady, wear a feather headdress, people think: cute! glamourous! exotic! creative!

But if someone belonging to a culture to whom the feather headdress really belonged wore one, people think: outsider! scary! out of touch! refuses to fit in!

You can wear something from someone else’s culture without reprimand or discrimination, and the person from the culture that it comes from… can’t. Does that seem right to you?

White people have the privilege to dabble in other people’s cultures, at the same time (don’t kid yourself that this time is over) that we marginalize and discriminate against the PEOPLE whose culture we find so alluring. As white women, we can dabble in the “fashion” of other cultures, whereas indigenous people have been in some cases legally barred from wearing their own indigenous dress. Yeah. Legally. That would suck.

We, white people, turn “exotic” or “worldly” or “bohemian” clothes into an expensive fashion trend, while simultaneously indigenous peoples lack rights and live in extreme poverty – in Canada, where I live, First Nations peoples live in “third world” conditions in our “first world” country. So when you are wearing your “headdress” – think about the people you are glamorizing and how they sometimes don’t have running water, access to education, how they have an incredibly high suicide rate because their lives are so hard. Think about how you are doing nothing about it – you are taking from that culture and giving nothing back, not even your constructive support.

Actually here: a good friend of mine has a blog (you’ve linked to her before) where she talks about things like this, and the most recent post is about cultural appropriation at the Vancouver Olympics and why it sucks. In that post she links to a post about Native American culture as “fashion”

alagarconniere.blogspot.com/

Gala, you are a smart and thoughtful woman so I hope you do think about this one a lot more. I know it would be great if you and your readers really thought about what it means to take something from someone else’s culture and represent it as part of your own quirky stylish identity.

I kind of wonder if you will delete this comment on the grounds that it “judging” or “general nastiness” – but really my intention is to start a constructive dialogue about what kind of clothing is up for grabs, style-wise, and what kind of clothing we might want to stop and think about before wearing. I hope that is “encouraging” enough.
Iris · Mar 1, 09:23 AM · #
I love reading your blog at the moment, even more than usual. The self-love project is really like fuel I find. I have been drained of energy by some aspects of my life currently and just reading it makes me feel full of beans again!
Thank you so much and keep fighting the good fight!
Ava-May.
xxx
Ava-May Hemme · Mar 1, 03:01 PM · #
Iris, sounds kinda like you just want to hear yourself talk. These are the kind of “discussions” that prevent people from getting along, and from barriers being broken down. Sweets, have your opinion- but try not to force it on other people. You have your say and, your friend has hers[yes I did read it, and I(maybe I read it wrong?) think you’re both looking for something to PICK at; albeit you’re discussing mature topics, not childish things-kudos!] Just because we wear something fabricated in replica, doesn’t mean we haven’t considered its history, or haven’t appreciated it- Simple as that.
Emilia Jane: you worded it perfect!
Gala: Keep doing your thing, we LOVE it!
P.s. Gala: My current desktop background is a sunset in a mountainous area of New Zealand, with a glorious body of shimmery water beneath it. I hope that doesn’t offend you ;)
Red · Mar 1, 03:07 PM · #
“These are the kind of “discussions” that prevent people from getting along, and from barriers being broken down.”

Actually, Red, these are the kind of discussions that DO break barriers. Iris is challenging a harmful aspect of society—one that simultaneously exploits indigenous people and oppresses them.

People may completely appreciate native history while donning their sparkly sequined headdresses. That doesn’t excuse the fact that (most of the time) those same headdress-wearers are doing absolutely nothing to stop the oppression of those same native people in this current day and age. Not challenging oppression is EXACTLY the same thing as letting it continue. It’s a silent approval.

Doing so is a huge lack of respect. It’s like saying “I like you enough to take this amusing thing you have! But not enough to actually care about or help you as a person.” It’s saying that the indigenous person is only as good as their ability to please the privileged person.

Also, what’s with the scare quotes around “discussions”? And raising a controversial issue does not automatically make one an enemy. There is absolutely nothing about Iris’s statement that suggests that she a bad person or hard to get along with.
Autumn · Mar 1, 03:23 PM · #
the problem is a little more complicated then just living in a pluralistic culture with lots of cultural influences, what happened to indigenous people is genocide. the un defines genocide as more then killing a whole bunch of people, it is the attempt to destroy a culture as well. so for a white identified person to wear native (or really native-esque) clothes/accessories or to try and adopt the culture as their own (which is not what i think gala is trying to do here, but it could go that way) is a real problem.

this is a group(s) that are fighting to maintain its culture in the face of obliteration. for people participating in the production of pop culture to utilize said motifs as novel is wrong.

ethics arent about nit picking or verbosity, it is trying to determine right from wrong, and how these values apply to everyone in a given space/time/place. feel free to disagree, but at least have an argument.
sheila · Mar 2, 02:49 AM · #
My point IS, Sheila- that I’m NOT here to argue. I also was not referring to Iris’s friend’s particular blog article as something to overlook, or scoff at. Her specific topic is applausible, and yes, applies in that case. (watchout, here come the scare quotes!!)
“Think about how you are doing nothing about it – you are taking from that culture and giving nothing back, not even your constructive support.” -All I’m saying about this is that if blown out of proportion-and applied to everything, no one could be able to have their own sense of free, harmless, ecclectic style, or ‘it’- factor without having an asterisk hanging off of it, so we don’t offend our critics. Moderation- is what I’m asking for. :) xoxo
Red · Mar 2, 02:10 PM · #
Sheila, I think your last comment is right on. Your last point seems especially important for people to consider — participating in the practices that strip cultural artifacts of their meaning by turning them into accessories is problematic. While I think that most people who have jumped on the trend of Native American “motifs” in fashion aren’t coming from a malicious place, the realities of cultural appropriation should be acknowledged and interrogated.

Red, I think it’s interesting that you think critique should be curbed to protect someone’s ability to have a “free, harmless, eclectic style, or ‘it’-factor.” To me, that rubs right against what Sheila and Iris have suggested with their comments — styles that appropriate from other cultures are not “free” or “harmless” — it can be downright offensive and damaging for someone in a marginalized culture to see their cultural artifacts appropriated and stripped of meaning. Additionally, to adopt cultural markers from a marginalized group in order to create an “eclectic” style perpetuates exotification and othering.
K. · Mar 2, 02:47 PM · #
wow, is this a matchbox? (i think those are the matches at the bottom, but i could be mistaken.)
it’s gorgeous! if i had that, i’d never use the matches. ever.
xoxo, erin.
unaveragethoughts.blogspot.com
erin · Mar 2, 05:18 PM · #