I swear I'm just pro-flower...

March 7, 2008 1:39 PM

Is my scarf offensive? Help me overthink this.

So, I found this dress at a discount chain store recently that was in a lovely bright floral print over a black background. I tried it on and the print looked great on me but the shape of the dress nonexistent so I put it back.

Then, I find a scarf/shawl with the exact same print. Delighted, I purchase it.

Not until I'm getting dressed this morning did it really register with me that the scarf had obviously been based on the Palestinian scarves that hipsters seem fond of wearing nowadays. The traditional print has been replaced with innocuous flowers but it is the same shape and material and has the same fringe.

Now I know shawls and scarves are common to many cultures but I don't recall seeing ones quite like these until the Palestinian scarf fad had begun.

I don't believe in wearing politically-charged clothing unless you're truly devoted to the cause it represents and can intelligently back up your stance when questioned.

For personal reasons, I'd like to stay as publicly neutral on the Palestine/Israel issue as possible, and what's more I work for a Jewish organization and certainly don't want to offend anyone when I wear it to work...so that's probably why I'm being paranoid.

So, am I offending anyone or co-opting anyone's culture or am I just wearing a pretty scarf?

posted by Jess the Mess to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (34 answers total)

This question is useless without pix.

That sounds jokey, but I mean it. Without a sense of exactly how close a "parody" this scarf of yours is, it would be difficult to say whether it's offenseive.
posted by dersins at 1:44 PM on March 7, 2008

Why not ask someone at work? Or wait until questioned and then seem surprised. (I was totally unaware there was a Palestinian scarf fad, if that helps, or if that disqualifies my answer.)
posted by salvia at 1:47 PM on March 7, 2008

I work for a Jewish organization and certainly don't want to offend anyone

Could you bring it to work before wearing it and ask someone?
posted by winston at 1:47 PM on March 7, 2008

nobody here can tell you what people at work will think of it, except people at work. take it in and ask around?
posted by white light at 1:48 PM on March 7, 2008

A floral print over a black background doesn't sound like any version of a Palestinian scarf that I've ever seen. Don't they all have white backgrounds? Is your scarf also cotton? A loosely woven fringed scarf does not automatically count as Palestinian. Yes, we need pictures.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 1:49 PM on March 7, 2008

The Palestinian scarf "fad" has been around for at least twenty years. The Cool Kids were wearing these scarves back when I was in high school in 1989.

If you like the scarf because of its pattern, wear it. If you like the scarf because it allows you to make a political statement, it may not be wise to wear it to the office.
posted by KokuRyu at 1:50 PM on March 7, 2008

I don't believe in wearing politically-charged clothing unless you're truly devoted to the cause it represents and can intelligently back up your stance when questioned.

"I liked the way it looked" qualifies.

If someone at work comments on it you can say - with complete honesty - that you bought it at a discount store because you liked the pattern, not at any event or with any axe to grind. If someone seems actually bugged by it, don't wear it to work.

As KokyRyu says, this is not new or iron-clad in what it means any more than wearing pink is necessarily now a breast cancer statement.
posted by phearlez at 1:55 PM on March 7, 2008

The Palestinian fad has been around forever and the scarves are also used extensively in the British Military. They don't hold many connotations these days (if they ever did.)
posted by fire&wings at 1:55 PM on March 7, 2008

Hm. Don't know that it's a question of it being a parody, and that being the offensive thing; I think it's a question of whether it looks enough like one of those scarves, albeit with a different pattern, to make people think she's trying to emulate that and, by extension, support a pro-Palestinian viewpoint.

I don't have an opinion on this, but here are a few takes on people wearing both the actual scarves and scarves with a similar look:

-Comments on a post about Kirsten Dunst wearing one on Team Sugar, a blog attached to Britain's Sugar magazine.

-In a blog post on the site for Canada's Lou Lou magazine.

-On an Internet culture blog—the author likes the multicultural scarf thing, but specifically dislikes the Palestinian scarf trend.

-On a post on bglam.com—check out the comments underneath.

-From the blog of a girl with a multicultural background who wears the actual scarves.
posted by limeonaire at 1:56 PM on March 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

Also, otherworldlyglow, there are a lot of them out there that aren't just black-and-white. See the Simply Islam store for a few examples.
posted by limeonaire at 2:00 PM on March 7, 2008

Well those all look like they have a white/cream background to me........ I wasn't saying they didn't come in other colors, only that she describes the scarf as being a "lovely bright floral print over a black background" and I've yet to see one of those scarves with a black background.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 2:08 PM on March 7, 2008

Interesting though, that the "fashion" versions you link to (Kiki Dunst and the bglam stuff) aren't light backgrounds so clearly the "authentic" look is morphing.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 2:11 PM on March 7, 2008

Speaking as a Canadian, I would assume you were wearing that to keep warm or layer your clothes. I've seen them lots of times and just thought they were an alternative to a regular scarf. I wouldn't worry about wearing this.
posted by Deep Dish at 2:14 PM on March 7, 2008

I don't believe in wearing politically-charged clothing unless you're truly devoted to the cause it represents and can intelligently back up your stance when questioned.

For personal reasons, I'd like to stay as publicly neutral on the Palestine/Israel issue as possible, and what's more I work for a Jewish organization and certainly don't want to offend anyone when I wear it to work...so that's probably why I'm being paranoid.

So, am I offending anyone or co-opting anyone's culture or am I just wearing a pretty scarf?

A friend of mine has a kefiya (purely as a fashionable accessory) and was confronted about it on the train (in NYC) by an Israeli man. The man, like many Israelis, was a former soldier. He had strong feelings about what the scarf represented, however, their conversation was fairly civil. I'm guessing far more people keep their thoughts to themselves rather than go up to a stranger and say "Hey, your scarf is offensive to me!"

It depends on who you are concerned about offending -
If you are worried about what your co-workers think, ask them before wearing it.

If you are concerned about causing offense to random people on the street, there's no way to know for sure. Presumably if you thought it looked like a kefiya, someone else might as well. It's hard to say. Maybe you'd just be more comfortable getting a different kind of scarf?
posted by dubold at 2:20 PM on March 7, 2008

Would you feel comfortable wearing a scarf you got in India, even though it was adorned with swastikas? Some people would wear it, despite the possible negative associations, due to the fact that it's a traditional design used for thousands of years and only recently associated with the Nazis. Other folks would worry about the possible misinterpretations, and not wear it.

Like dubold said, if you think it looks like a kefiya, it's likely that others, especially those who work in a Jewish organization and who are familiar with what kefiyas look like, would do the same.
posted by MrMoonPie at 2:37 PM on March 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

This is definitely not a recent fad; it was popular in 1992 when I was fresh out of high school. Even then it was not necessarily associated with support for the Palestinian cause, although virtually all the Palestinians at my university wore them.

I am not Jewish and I have very little insight into what Jews are likely to be offended by. Nthing that you should ask your coworkers.
posted by desjardins at 2:52 PM on March 7, 2008

I was wearing a keffiyah as a scarf back in college in 1985, as were all of my pinko-liberal friends, including (especially) the Jewish ones.
posted by matildaben at 3:14 PM on March 7, 2008 [2 favorites]

A professor of anthropology in Arkansas has a blog devoted in part to kufiyaspotting. I would run your question past him and see what he says.
posted by billtron at 3:28 PM on March 7, 2008 [2 favorites]

New York Times from last year on the issue of wearing actual keffiyahs as fashionable scarves.
posted by iknowizbirfmark at 4:19 PM on March 7, 2008

I'd really like to see a photo.

I loved my one-and-only keffiyeh. Bought it in a flea market in '85, wore it as I did my teen-backpacking-through-Italy-stint in '86-'87. Made me feel oh-so-international.

Kept me warm when I was "between" hostels (sleeping on benches in train stations) but did nothing to buffer the butt of the ak-47 the Milano polizia used to "nudge" my head (rudest awakening, ever...) and demand my papers, and then upon seeing the U.S. passport, demand my *real* papers. Apparently (according to the half-Italian friend with whom I was traveling) the carabinieri were convinced by the dark hair/almond eyes/keffiyeh-combo that I was Palestinian; ergo, a terrorist-in-making. Assumptions and accusations I only vaguely understood at the time. Didn't exactly possess the Italian skills to explain my naivete, either, and it was a long night spent in pseudo-custody.

I retired the scarf before I left Milan. I find it makes it easier to live my current expat life, traveling frequently over international borders, if I make as few visual political statements as possible. Still, YMMV.
posted by squasha at 4:22 PM on March 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

If you are offending anyone, they are probably the sort of person who enjoys taking offence.

Methinks you are being a little sensitive.

Anyway Palestinian is not a political cause, it's a culture, and should be respected like all cultures.
posted by mattoxic at 5:08 PM on March 7, 2008

Anyway Palestinian is not a political cause, it's a culture

This is naive to the point of obtuseness.

Jess: I think wearing an item of clothing associated with the Palestinian cause to work at a Jewish organization would be incredibly insensitive and a bad move on all sorts of levels. Without seeing the scarf how can we know if such an association exists or if you are just being overly (but understandably) sensitive.

But if the thing really is playing off of a palestinian nationalist pattern you'd be foolish to wear it to your job.
posted by Justinian at 5:19 PM on March 7, 2008 [2 favorites]

Don't wear a kefiya to work for a Jewish organisation. C'mon.
posted by bonaldi at 5:29 PM on March 7, 2008 [3 favorites]

Here's the link to the NYT Style Section article about this odd trend.
posted by AngerBoy at 7:20 PM on March 7, 2008

I think my kefiyeh is beautiful and I wear it as much as possible, not only to show solidarity but because it's a great scarf. That being said, I work for a Jewish organization and I would NEVER wear my kefiyeh to work. Ever, ever, ever. I brought up Edward Said once in passing and quickly learned never to do so again. I know that if I showed up at work wearing it, things would get very tense very quickly, even though our org has nothing to do with Israel itself.

However, I have trouble imagining a floral kefiyeh, so I think you could probably get away with it.
posted by chelseagirl at 8:09 PM on March 7, 2008

I, too, wore a kefiyeh through the 80s. It was soft, warm, but not too warm. It was black and white, and seemed to coordinate with everything. Why did I stop wearing it? Because the kefiyeh, no matter what your intention (or lack there of) means something to the people do designed it and wear it daily. I'm not quite sure what that is, but it seems to have a lot to do with one' s ethnic and religious identity.

I think the best way to respect a foreign culture is to avoid using its symbols and realia until you understand what it signifies. I have great sympathy for Palestinians, but I do not wear their scarf precisely because I am not sure what it means.

Please ask around before buying things to talk about over the water cooler.
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 8:41 PM on March 7, 2008

I wore the kefiyeh in college in the '90's. Why? Because Madison, Wisconsin gets really REALLY bitter cold, and as a lifelong Wisconsinite, it was the only scarf I'd ever had that kept me adequately warm. I loved that thing, and I never got any questions or comments about it.

I stopped wearing it in the late '90's, because I moved to Seattle. The more temperate winters meant that I didn't have to wear it anymore.
posted by spinifex23 at 11:59 PM on March 7, 2008

MrMoonpie: I think the nazis have irreparably ruined the swastika, at least for wearing in any western nation... No matter where the article of clothing originated.

I personally would not wear a checkered (Arafat-style) kaffiyah around in the US, for fear of being hassled by some overzealous homeland security cop.

This reminds me of some jokes made last week when Prince Harry's Afghanistan deployment was leaked, something about "At least the locals over there won't mind that he's wearing a swastika":

http://www.adelaideinstitute.org/images/photos2/Prince_Harry.jpg
posted by thewalrus at 12:21 AM on March 8, 2008

It's also worth mentioning that all of the good guidebooks to the Arabian peninsula region caution men against attempting to wear local headdress or robes unless you do a LOT of research first. There are subtle differences in Arabian headdress patterns that can represent your family or tribal affiliation. It's possible to send entirely the wrong signal without even trying, or at best look like a clueless "Lawrence of Arabia" poseur.

This brings to mind the question:
Why is it clearly culturally acceptable for Arab men to wear a 3-piece business suit, such as might be seen on a banker working in the City of London, but it is much rarer and questionable for a western Euro male to wear a white Saudi-style robe, red & white kaffiyeh and the black head-donut thing? Something such as you might see any businessman wearing in an Arabian country.
posted by thewalrus at 12:28 AM on March 8, 2008

thewalrus: Because other than "how much money did this cost", a 3-piece doesn't really carry any signals as to family or tribe? Seriously, you answered your own question.
posted by spaceman_spiff at 12:39 AM on March 8, 2008

thewalrus: you don't have the comparison right. Wearing a patterned headdress without a real understanding of what the pattern means isn't the same as wearing a 3 piece business suit. It's the same as walking through South Central or Compton wearing a brightly colored piece of attire without a real understanding of what that represents.

Think of them kinda like gang colors.
posted by Justinian at 11:48 AM on March 8, 2008

Wearing a kefiyeh is pretty clueless if you're not doing it for political/rebelliousness reasons. I would be more worried about people thinking you're dumb for wearing it as a fashion accessory than I would be about them getting offended. (Unless, of course, they can hire or fire you.)
posted by footnote at 5:19 PM on March 8, 2008

The traditional print has been replaced with innocuous flowers but it is the same shape and material and has the same fringe.

That is SO not a kefiyeh. Flowers on a gauze scarf with tassels does not equal a Palestinian symbol. However, people recognizing the inspiration may still be offended, just because being offended is not necessarily a logical thought process. I would either take it to work and ask a few people what they think, or just not wear it.

I think the best way to respect a foreign culture is to avoid using its symbols and realia until you understand what it signifies. I have great sympathy for Palestinians, but I do not wear their scarf precisely because I am not sure what it means.

Please ask around before buying things to talk about over the water cooler.

dude, it's NOT a Palestinian scarf, and if you even gave a cursory glance to the question, you would know that the OP certainly did not buy it to "talk about it over the water cooler".
posted by oneirodynia at 6:31 PM on March 9, 2008

The political keffiyeh is not just about the shape of the scarf, it's also about the way it is worn (bunched up around the neck), as well as the print. Only the shape of your scarf resembles the keffiyeh.

Square scarfs/kerchiefs are worn in many cultures - if you wore it over your head, for instance, it would look much more Russian/Eastern European (not actually recommending this, just pointing it out). If you wore it over your shoulders with a triangle down the back (perhaps over your coat for a bit of colour), it would look very Western (though a bit old fashioned). Thrown only once around the neck and trailing down on either side of one shoulder would be more of a Hollywood look.

Don't wear it in the political style if that bothers you, but there are many ways to wear it where it won't resemble the political symbol.
posted by jb at 12:46 PM on May 28, 2008