If pro-Israel advocacy group "Stand With Us,"* thought that their virulent letters remonstrating Urban Outfitter's sale of trendified kuffiyehs, or ahem, "hate scarves", would be a TKO for the mass marketing (albeit blindly empty cultural appropriation/co-option) of what has come to symbolize the Palestinian Liberation Movement, they had another thing coming. As my most recent trip to So Cali reveals, the kuffiyeh is alive and kicking-and evenly prominently displayed at the front of the entrance of Westwood's (right next to the UCLA campus) Urban Outfitters Store.
Below are two photos I was forced to secretly snap with my phone to throw off the noisy greeter employee.
(pretty good for a camera phone if I must say so myself, right?)
Donning the undercover cultural reporter disguise (which just means that I pretend to know nothing), I proceeded to ask him what "this" was.
His response?
"Oh, I think these are handmade, one of a kind, something special like that."
Maybe that's why the kuffiyeh continues, in the face of vocal political opposition to the formerly-known "anti-war woven scarf" currently-known "one of a kind scarf," to be sold at this high profile national chain clothing store.
Or, maybe it's LA fashionistas sheer dedication to innovative and cutting edge fashion trends...or maybe it's just the complete ignorance surrounding the socio-cultural history of the kuffiyeh and the politically charged controversy it is enveloped in.
*Btw, check the quote extracted from our ever own KABOBer Nadeem's post on the issue entitled "Kaffiya Kraze: Revisited"
Below are two photos I was forced to secretly snap with my phone to throw off the noisy greeter employee.
(pretty good for a camera phone if I must say so myself, right?)
Donning the undercover cultural reporter disguise (which just means that I pretend to know nothing), I proceeded to ask him what "this" was.
His response?
"Oh, I think these are handmade, one of a kind, something special like that."
Maybe that's why the kuffiyeh continues, in the face of vocal political opposition to the formerly-known "anti-war woven scarf" currently-known "one of a kind scarf," to be sold at this high profile national chain clothing store.
Or, maybe it's LA fashionistas sheer dedication to innovative and cutting edge fashion trends...or maybe it's just the complete ignorance surrounding the socio-cultural history of the kuffiyeh and the politically charged controversy it is enveloped in.
*Btw, check the quote extracted from our ever own KABOBer Nadeem's post on the issue entitled "Kaffiya Kraze: Revisited"
7 comments:
i thought you were against the pop culture use of the kefiyah? or are you for it only if pro israel groups are against it? confused.
haha-it's true-blatant cultural appropriation doesn't sit well with me. However, in this case, my issue is with Urban Outfitters altogether-its merchandising of what they capitalistically call an "Anti-war woven scarf" to the company's decision to discontinue the sale of the kuffiyeh "due to the sensitive nature" of it. In my books, the chain store is just fucking up left and right.
I think its great they sell kuffayas. I don't expect everyone who wears one to know "what it means". I mean, is a Palestinian farmer who wears it simply to protect his skin/face from wind/dust wearing it for the wrong reasons? Anyway, any positive publicity is great with me. And if a bunch of young hip people want to rock the Kuffaya, as Pali-American, I co-sign.
Just becareful who you wear it around, Dipset memeber Jim Jones calls himself, the "Kuffie smacker".
agreed
Young hip people? Hahahaha!!!
More like terrorist sypathizing posers. You can have them.
My guess is that UO Westwood is selling the kufiya because UO bought LOTS of kufiyas for its early spring marketing campaign. So it's trying to sell off what it bought, without calling attention to the fact, without any 'anti-war' label.
My favorite site at the latest anti-semitism rallies are flaming gay palestinian males with earings, sporting kafiyyahs and screaming about freedoms, freedoms they could never have in a Palestinian state, where they would end up killed for liking boys.
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