Melania Trump, no stranger to sartorial controversy, is facing criticism for a hat she wore during her solo trip to Africa.
The First Lady was photographed wearing a white pith helmet while on a safari in Nairobi National Park in Kenya. The pith helmet was popularized in the late 19th century and favored by British officers in Africa — so much so that it’s become at symbol of colonial rule and oppression.
Per the New York Times, several people on Twitter have denounced her choice. “That Pith helmet you have carried was used by colonialists during the dark days. Doesn’t sit well with us Africans,” Nairobi resident Pauleen Walo wrote. “Who advised you?”
“When people think of Africa, they have these standard narratives,” Kim Yi Dionne, a political science professor at University of California, Riverside told the Times. “Her attire is a signal of her understanding of what Africa is in 2018. It’s tired and it’s old and it’s inaccurate.”
Kenya is Trump’s third stop on her Africa tour. She previously visited Ghana and Malawi and will be traveling to Egypt this weekend.
