What do you guys think of this?

Question

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/urban-outfitters-under-fire-for-navajo-collection-2582797/

honestly i think this woman needs to get over herself. before you start firing at me, i get native american sensitivities. i read 1491 and wrote a 22 page paper on it; i'm informed of the atrocities. but i think that's a lot different than a distasteful clothing line. i don't know it's just the way that she's treating it as a personal insult that irks me for some reason.

Answer 1

What do I think? Way to go Sasha Houston Brown!



Congrats on reading a book and writing a paper on it. Maybe you are the one who needs to get over yourself, considering you think you are now some sort of expert on Native Americans. Interesting that such an expert thinks all the atrocities happened hundreds of years ago.



Personally, I find the line to be distasteful as well. "Navajo Print Fabric Wrapped Flask, Navajo Hipster Panty and Staring at Stars Strapless Navajo Dress" If you were as in tune to cultural issues of Native Americans as you like to think, you would realize that our women are raised to be modest, not out sporting panties for the world to see or wearing tiny little strapless dresses. We don't dress slutty nor do we want to have it implied that we are that way.



But the legality of the line is the first thing that came to my mind as I began to read the article. It is not legal to market products as Native American. Considering Navajo is the name of a tribe in the Southwest, I sincerely hope Urban Outfitters will be looking at a lawsuit in the near future. Honestly, it's a bit sickening that there are people on the Navajo reservation without running water yet a corporation feels they are entitled to use these people as marketing tools to make even more money by tying their skanky clothesline to them.



She took it as a personal insult because it is. You don't get to decide what someone else finds offensive. If this is not exploitation of Native people, then why are there not clothing lines named after other races implying they are slutty? It's obvious that you are "irked" because, as a member of the majority race, you have the idea that it's okay to use and treat others in any manner that you want. The letter this woman wrote pissed you off because she stood her ground and it threatened your way of viewing others.



@ Rachel: Just because someone goes to a mall doesn't mean they don't live a life filled with Native American culture, nor does it mean they are not conservative. We do live in the 21st century too- cars, houses, etc. We may not dress in buckskin and feathers on a daily basis, but it doesn't mean we are immodest or that our culture is not abundant in our daily lives.



Edit @ details: Thank you for the compliment. I am a lovely person to be around. I am friendly, caring, funny and compassionate. But I do take offense when people think they know more about me than I know myself, or feel the need to decide how others should feel regarding certain issues. You are the one who needed to post your "credentials" to somehow back your opinion. The thing you fail to realize though is that this IS offensive, so your 22 page paper doesn't really help your case. Evidently, you are good at reading and writing, but lack the ability to see things from someone else's point of view- you just don't get "Native American sensitivities". In all honesty, the fact that you wrote that paper means nothing if you didn't learn from it.

Answer 2

I'd unload him asap. If he likes an additional lady and he or she him, WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? Real love does not play video games or have wandering eyes, it is dedicated and difficult paintings. You MUST see this as a pink flag, a deal breaker, strike 3. Your younger, i am guessing, you should not also be in view that a SERIOUS dating that's going to intent you lack of confidence. Have a laugh, do not end up overly invested on this, WHAT? you are not able to flirt? Move on, the writing is at the wall and it spells obstacle. Do your self a prefer and reduce the man unfastened, whether it is destined to be, it'll run it is path and he's going to be again. But why you could take him again most effective you'll be able to reply.

Answer 3

From the snippets of her letter quoted in the article, I think she was a little too articulate and coherent.



If it were my ethnic group being messed with that way, I would be sputtering and growling and it would be most likely that the way to spell out what I was saying would be "Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr."



But maybe she's more mature than I am, and has more self control than I do.



Smart kid, and she writes well. I think she has a promising future. Unlike Urban Outfitters.

Answer 4

The Navajo have a lot of style and class, I think they should be able to handle it.

But if Urban Outfitters comes out with a pink line of Mi'maq buckskins - I'll be writing that CEO.



Scotch-Irish Mi'kmaq



RScott

Answer 5

Yes, how ridiculous that she is offended. I mean, really we should be so honoured that the white, suburbanite youth would want to dress like us........except that the items these profit-whore stores sell don't represent Natives at all, but feed off of stereotypes and perpetuate myths. A Navajo print flask? REALLY?



I am personally insulted and its just like a non-Native to try and tell us when we should be and shouldn't be.

Answer 6

you are correct. how dare this woman even THINK white america gives a **** about natives or are capable of respecting anything past their own wants and greed. the comments after this article show quite well how the majority of non natives in usa think about us. after all white people get to tell everyone else when they should be offended and apparently everything else about their lives as well. only white people get to be offended..usually when non whites call them insensitive and racist. then they whine about everyone else having privileges they don't. funny last time i looked most corporation heads and the 1% are white. but they think they got there all on their own efforts..ignoring the hundreds of years of white affirmative action that has existed in this land since they arrived.



so no..i don't expect urban outfitters or anyone else to care or change this. my lifetime has shown me never to expect the right thing from white people. i haven't been disappointed since.

Answer 7

That's a good question, because I'm not sure how I feel about this girl. She seems very insightful... but possibly just starved for attention? I could see if she lived a very conservative life filled with Native American culture, how she might be insulted by a lot of current fashion trends. The fact that she chose to blow a gasket at this ONE store's display...well I think she was overreacting. You're right, she was treating it as if she was like an ambassador for the Native American culture or something!? If she's shopping at stores like these, I'm guessing she's actually a lot more like other contemporary girls these days.



Edit- Well now I feel a bit bad. I apologize if I was being a bit ignorant with my opinion everyone. Hope I haven't insulted any of you. Native Americans clearly celebrate their heritage much more then, say, a half irish person would. I now realize how much it must mean to you. I guess I'm just not used to connecting heritage with clothing? Once again, my apologies everyone!

Answer 8

I tend to agree with her. They are naming a line of trashy products after our nation. People will associate that image with us. And those products are NOT made by us, nor do they have anything to do with us. It is rude and offensive. They are things we would never buy or own ourselves. And people will think it is "navajo". That's not us. We should have a say in how our people are depicted and how our own name is used. Don't YOU think we have that right?

Answer 9

****, just look at those comments on there.



You know its tough to say "proud American" when they're calling your people drunks and thieves.



As if cheap clothing wasn't bad enough right?

Answer 10

Too many thin-skinned people in the world trying to make a buck on their "pain".