America’s First Lady Melania Trump is being slammed again over her clothing choice on her ongoing visit to Africa.
On Friday, while visiting a safari in Nairobi National Park in Kenya – a stop on her first solo trip to Africa – Melania was photographed wearing a white pith helmet, a hat most commonly associated with colonialists. In the 19th and 20th centuries, European military personnel often wore pith helmets as they sought out colonies in Africa and Asia. The hats remained popular with those who moved to colonised countries and are seen by many as symbolic of the oppression of colonization.
Shortly after the sighting, several people called Melania out on Twitter. “Melania Trump wearing a pith helmet on her trip to ‘Africa’ is more than a silly sartorial choice. It’s a reflection of her outdated understanding of Africa,” Kim Yi Dionne, a political-science professor who specialises in African politics at the University of California, Riverside wrote. “Also, she was photographed in safari attire multiple times on this trip,” Dionne added. Matt Carotenuto, a historian and coordinator of African Studies at St. Lawrence University wrote, “Melania completes the stereotype trifecta– elephants, orphans and even the pith helmet.”
photo Credit: Getty
