Pharrell Williams moved quick into damage control mode after fans were #nothappy with his costume choice. In a powerful photo shoot for ELLE UK, the "Happy" crooner traded in his signature Vivienne Westwood hat for a Native American headdress. Fans took to twitter Wednesday to express their disappointment.
"@ELLEUK @Pharrell Cultural appropriation? I thought your magazine had standards," user Seneca Chartrand wrote.
She later tweeted, "@ELLEUK @Pharrell headdresses are NOT costumes."
#NotHappy even started trending.
"Hope @pharrell is #happy with his ignorance because Natives are #nothappy seeing those who earned their feathers being disrespected," says user Johnnie Jae.
Talia E. Myres echoes these claims, tweeting, "@Pharrell - I'm a big fan, and I'm a Cherokee citizen. Disappointed to see you in a headdress on the @ELLEmagazine cover :( #nothappy."
Williams released a statement on behalf of the controversy, stating, "I respect and honor every kind of race, background and culture. I am genuinely sorry."
ELLE originally posted a statement to their website, reading, "We persuaded ELLE Style Award winner Pharrell to trade his Vivienne Westwood mountie hat for a native American feather headdress in his best ever shoot."
It was later replaced with, "Continuing our tradition of featuring cult male icons on collector's edition covers we persuaded ELLE Style Award winner Pharrell to collaborate with us on his best ever shoot."
For those who don't know, the headdress holds feathers given out for heroic deeds. They are said to protect the wearer, which is usually a Native American warrior or chief. It is considered sacred to this day and sometimes used for ceremonies.
This is not the first time Native American culture was poorly used in fashion. Designers like Urban Outfitters, Victoria's Secret, H&M, and even band No Doubt have apologized in the past for their usage.
Last year a Chanel fashion show was dubbed "offensive mockery" after models donned headdresses.
We hope this was all just a misunderstanding! Do you forgive Pharrell, or are you still #nothappy? Sound off in the comments section below!