Australian actress Nathalie Kelly claims white people should NEVER wear feather accessories to music festivals: ‘It’s wrong and harmful’
Australian actress Nathalie Kelley has issued a strong warning about the dangers of wearing “Indigenous fashions” at music festivals.
Nathalie, who is of Peruvian and Argentinian descent and identifies as an Indigenous woman, shared a lengthy Instagram post on Tuesday insisting feathers have no place at festivals like Burning Man.
The 36-year-old began her post by pointing out the environmental impact of wearing feathers, writing: “This is wrong and harmful as it is killing wild species in the Amazon.
Australian actress Nathalie Kelley, 36, (pictured) has issued a stark warning about the dangers of wearing “Indigenous fashions” at music festivals
The star went on to argue that non-Indigenous people should never wear feathers, claiming it’s “culturally insensitive” to dress up as “people who have been murdered and driven off their land.”
“This fetishization of Indigenous fashion and culture as a trend by non-Indigenous peoples rubs salt on the wounds of this painful history and pokes fun at very real threats that still face Indigenous people today,” the Instagram model wrote.
“I, too, have had my share of dressing up in feathers in the past, and while they weren’t from Amazonian birds, I now cringe at the level of unconscious disrespect implied in those earlier choices.” ‘ she continued.
Nathalie, who is of Peruvian and Argentinian descent and identifies as an Indigenous woman, shared a lengthy Instagram post on Tuesday insisting feathers have no place at festivals like Burning Man
Her post was accompanied by an infographic on how wearing animal parts has put the Amazon rainforest at risk of losing its biodiversity
The Vampire Diaries star admitted that despite her Indigenous ancestry, she’s only recently recognized her “Indigenous ally” and therefore understands “there is a degree of mercy for those who really don’t know any better.”
“But if you’re reading this — now you know,” she added.
Nathalie ended her essay with a very stern warning.
She began her post by pointing out the environmental impact of wearing feathers, writing: “This is wrong and harmful as it is driving wild species to extinction in the Amazon
The star went on to argue that non-Indigenous people should never wear feathers, claiming it’s “culturally insensitive” to dress up as “people who have been murdered and driven off their land.”
“This fetishization of Indigenous fashion and culture as a trend by non-Indigenous peoples rubs salt on the wounds of this painful history and pokes fun at very real threats that still face Indigenous people today,” the Instagram model wrote
“So if you are packing for Burning Man or any other festival, please leave the feather headdress at home,” she wrote, adding, “Your festival wear is not worth the moral, spiritual and environmental damage it causes.”
Nathalie’s post was accompanied by an infographic on how wearing animal parts has put the Amazon rainforest at risk of losing its biodiversity.
Nathalie was born in Peru and raised in Sydney, Australia by her Indigenous mother and grandmother.
The Vampire Diaries star admitted that despite her Indigenous ancestry, she’s only recently recognized her “Indigenous ally” and therefore understands that “there’s a measure of mercy for those who really don’t know any better.”