Pharrell Williams apologized for wearing a Native American headdress on the cover of Elle UK after Twitter exploded with the disapproving hashtag ‘#NotHappy.’

Pharrell Wears Headdress On Elle UK Cover

Pharrell appears on a special edition cover of Elle UK’s July installment, and the musician was hit with backlash immediately after the cover was unveiled on Wednesday. As a play on the singer’s Oscar-nominated song “Happy,” critics began using the hashtag ‘#NotHappy’ to express their dismay.

Urgh. Why does the fashion industry insist on turning sacred cultural items into fashion props? #NOTHappy @ELLEUK pic.twitter.com/pcjFER2bVe

— Aparna Balakumar (@OnceAPARNATime) June 4, 2014

I'm seriously disappointed in @Pharrell for wearing a war bonnet on the cover of @ELLEmagazine #nothappy pic.twitter.com/bJJjutbdht

— Ashley Mocosa (@mocosamoments) June 4, 2014

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Hope @pharrell is #happy with his ignorance because Natives are #nothappy seeing those who earned their feathers being disrespected.

— Johnnie Jae (@johnniejae) June 4, 2014

Pharrell Issues Apology

Soon after the photo, and the critical response, went viral Pharrell issued an apology, saying, “I respect and honor every kind of race, background and culture. I am genuinely sorry.”

Meanwhile, Elle UK reportedly took the blame for the offensive accessory, writing on its website that they “persuaded Elle Style Award winner Pharrell to trade his Vivienne Westwood Mountie hat for a Native American feather headdress in his best ever shoot.”

This message has since been deleted and replaced with a new message that does not specifically address the Native American headdress, instead insisting that Elle “persuaded Elle Style Award winner Pharrell to collaborate with us on his best ever shoot.”

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