QUOTE OF THE DAY!:
“The Canton-based company [Dunkin' Donuts] has abruptly canceled an ad in which the domestic diva [Rachael Ray] wears a scarf that looks like a keffiyeh, a traditional headdress worn by Arab men. Some observers, including ultra-conservative Fox News commentator Michelle Malkin, were so incensed by the ad that there was even talk of a Dunkin’ Donuts boycott.”

Ok if you watch 30 Minute Meals as much as I do, then you’re pretty much in the know about how much of a stranger Rachel Ray is to any sort of fashion. The woman wears mom jeans for crissakes’! Clearly this time she again is guilty of a fashion faux pas- don’t get me wrong, I remember when Urban Outfitters put this little number on the market, that little rag flew off the shelves, unbeknownst to me.

From the picture the thing looks like a damn dish rag, through that little rag has really stirred up some heat. Michelle Malkin has become one of the biggest people to speak out and rage on this a little, “The keffiyeh, for the clueless, is the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad.” (from her website, http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/28/the-keffiyeh-kerfuffle/). Uh, hasty generalization much?! The keffiyeh is used to protect someone from sun exposure and also used in blocking blown sand and dust from the eyes and mouth, that is, usually found on Arab men.

Although this wouldn’t be the first time that American culture has taken a functional clothing item from another country and used it for “fashion’s sake”, even though it doesn’t fit. Prada making turbans. Tunic dresses that resemble dashikis from Africa. And now the keffiyeh added to the list.

Don’t get me wrong I’m not trying to say that Racheal Ray shouldn’t have a show called 30 Minute Jihad, but lets just say she isn’t the biggest activist or genius out there… not only does it look stupid with her outfit but she probably had no idea. That’s not a big deal, by the way, there are so many items out there in the fashion industry with underlying skeletons in their closets but nobody even knows. Saggy pants dating back to thugs in jail. Iron crosses. Cargo pants. All with underlying original uses, now evolutionized for a “look”. Come on, lets be real here. If anybody knows, its Rachael, obviously terrorism doesn’t go well with a jelly donut.

Just to exploit the reasoning farther, its not just Rachael. Popularized by some of the biggest names in the industry… if they’re all wearing it, its pretty much guaranteed that every Jane, Dick, and Tom will buy it at Urban.