Actress Selma Blair is hitting back at critics who accused her of cultural appropriation after she shared two photos of herself on Instagram wearing a head wrap.
People magazine reports:
The actress, 46, first sported the wrap in a photo taken with Rachel Fleit, a filmmaker known for embracing her hair loss and baldness, caused by alopecia.
“We have one answer to your bad hair days or NO hair days. #alopecia @rachelfleit … wraps! (oh, it’s been around for thousands of years…),” Blair wrote.
The Cruel Intentions star has been open about dealing with the intense side effects of multiple sclerosis, which may include hair loss, ever since she revealed she was diagnosed with the chronic neurological condition in October.
Blair also shared a photo of herself and her son Arthur Saint, 7½, both wearing headwraps.
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“This is not brilliant and is not cool,” one user wrote. “White people have scorned Sikhs for hundreds of years, and now we wanna appropriate and make it trendy? No. Just no. We dont get to do this.”
Another added: “Cultural appropriation. How can one wear that when the religious people who actually wear it gets so much ridicule.”
“You are so wonderful and I know you mean no harm, but this is serious cultural appropriation,” a third commenter wrote. “I’d be happy to have a private conversation about how this is hurtful to Sikhs if you’re open to it.”
Here are the “hurtful” photos:
Some people would just delete the photos out of frustration over the sheer stupidity of the criticisms, but not Blair. Here’s how she handled it:
The “Legally Blonde” actress also responded to comments on her posts, writing: “This is not at all a Sikh turban or imitating one. And funnily enough, Sikhs absorb negativity, diffuse it. Tolerance. So none of these comments hurt. They may be not knowing what they write. A head wrap can be useful and beautiful in all cultures.”
“Covering one’s head is not appropriating anything but warmth and a wig alternative,” she responded to another critic.
“Scarves have been worn by all colors for ages. Relax. What do you want a woman with no hair to wear? Just an itchy wig? Why not tie your own scarf and bejewel it. I think it’s a pretty alternative.”
Good for her.
Accusations of “cultural appropriation” have gotten way out of hand over the years as bored people online actually look for things to get offended over. That Blair took the time out in the middle of her MS battle to push back against the concern trolls in her comments section is a testament to just how strong of a fighter she is. For those who actually do engage in the comments of their social media posts or blogs, it’s a lot more emotionally taxing than you might think. That goes double for anyone who is dealing with serious health issues, as Blair is.
Blair opened up to “Good Morning America”‘s Robin Roberts back in February about her struggle with MS. At the time of the interview, she was experiencing an MS flare-up but still held her own because she wanted to raise awareness of what MS was like.
Watch the interview below, and please keep her, her family, and everyone who lives with MS in your thoughts and prayers.
To learn more about multiple sclerosis, click here.
UPDATE: This cartoon from B.B. Fox fits this story perfectly!!
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—Based in North Carolina, Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 15+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter.–
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