Women’s clothing retailer Topshop is underfire, yet again, for cultural appropriation, but this time, their decision to use a Keffiyeh print scarf for a romper is making more than just the usual suspects unhappy.
The clothing company introduced the “scarf playsuit” as part of its “festival collection,” because now that Coachella has moved past the stage where everyone is wearing Native American headdresses and flower crowns, they’re ready to exploit a new culture’s traditional craft work.
Kudos to the brand, of course, for making the romper trend even worse.
The “scarf-print” isn’t just a random pattern, though. Its the Keffiyeh, a scarf often worn by pro-Palestinian activists as a symbol of Palestinian nationalism, and their often violent opposition to the state of Israel.
Immediately, social justice warriors began taking Topshop to task in their traditional manner, claiming that Topshop was “appropriating and commercializing” an “important cultural symbol” for its $75 one-piece.
The interesting twist here is that while the Keffiyeh is, yes, a traditional Palestinian scarf, its also recognized as a symbol of anti-Zionism, and it isn’t just activists who don the scarf to protest—its terrorists.
When Urban Outfitters decided to sell the scarves as “anti-war” symbols, even progressives got up in arms, berating the hipster retail chain for trivializing the scarf as a mere fashion item, given what the Kaffiyeh represents (including murder).
Topshop is taking it one step further by letting you drape the flag literally over your entire body.
Fortunately, the Internet was also here to remind Topshop of that, asking—jokingly—on Topshop’s social media pages whether the “summer fun” this outfit was supposed to inspire, included the Intifada.
Topshop hasn’t responded to the complaints and you can still buy the romper on their website, on the off chance you belong to a group of people who somehow doesn’t find the whole thing offensive (we gather its probably small).
The company isn’t known for being particularly sensitive to this sort of thing, however. Besides scarves, Topshop has been accused of ripping off the aforementioned Native American headdress, selling a necklace made of racist caricatures of Chinese people, and a pair of “Mom jeans” that have clear plastic knees, which aren’t actually cultural appropriation but they are definitely offensive.