14 DAY TRIAL // Could Pharrell be looking to imitate British singer Jamiroquai with his odd choices of headgear? Possibly, but his fans are not in the least bit happy about that. The music producer is raising spirits and voices with his latest Elle Magazine cover which sees him sporting a native American Indian headdress, as he stares into the distance.
Instead of appreciating the cover, many took it as an insult and a slap in the face of real Indians, and they weren't too afraid to voice their anger either. Some of them seem to have very strong views about native Indian traditions, and they don't want those traditions to get mixed up in today's showbusiness.
Many people expressed strong opinions on Pharrell's Facebook page where the photo was posted, as well as on Elle's Facebook profile. They expressed their disappointment that a ceremonial headdress, which is considered sacred, was used in a commercial purpose for a photo shoot.
One user vented his frustration by saying “You have no right to wear a headress that is so sacred to native people..Those headresses are earned and not worn to make a buck or draw attention. Go back to wearing your OWN clothes.”
On Elle's Facebook page, another user had a similar opinion of the cover, “Your cover isn't something you should be proud of. This is NOT appropriate, ELLE,” while another chimed in to say “This is the worse cover ever! Why does he have to be in a Native American headdress! This is not at all ok!”
The controversial photo was taken by Doug Inglish and it shows the “Happy” singer looking out into the distance, while he wears an intricate typical Indian headdress and a colorful top which follows in the same pattern.
Pharrell has only recently begun wearing eye-catching headgear. Earlier this year, he drew significant attention with an oversized park ranger hat made by Vivienne Westwood. His newest acquisition hasn't struck home with fans, however.
The entire huge hat thing has been done before, too. Jamiroquai has made a name for himself with his intricate and often huge hats that sometimes evolve into real works of art. He too tried on the native American Indian look for a while, but with slightly more success, in a time when social media didn't exist and fans were not as vocal as today.
Maybe the singer and producer can turn to something closer to his African-American heritage in the future that will draw less rage from people who won't be as offended. This makes it one of the rare occasions when Pharrell, usually a very popular and likable artist, has struck out.