October 5, 2015

Visual Celebrations of #nativefashion

I think we're witnessing a really interesting time in history when Native cultures can be acceptably and excitingly worn on the body publicly.

This wasn't always the case.

Even up until recently, I recall people trying to visually downplay their cultural differences. Thank goodness for the democratization of fashion and the avant-garde campaigns of the 1980s-1990s with creative ads by brands like the United Colors of Benetton. In these revolutionary images, people of diverse backgrounds were represented alongside each other in celebratory ways as chic fashion statements.

We have popular cultural trends like these to thank for ushering in an opportunity for us to celebrate our unique Native American identities on our bodies, and to share that with non-Natives. It's truly an exciting time. Let's take advantage of it. The #nativefashion tag on Instagram is one of my favorites, and I think you should definitely check it out if you can. Even consider participating by posting your own images of your best #nativefashion ensembles or accessories. Here are some of my top faves from this past month, and please give these cool accounts a follow (click on images to expand).