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Native American group slams Love Island star Chris Taylor's 'offensive' tattoos
12 July 2019, 10:50 | Updated: 14 August 2019, 10:09
The Native American Rights Fund have spoken out on Love Island new boy Chris Taylor's tattoos as viewers are left outraged.
Love Island threw two new contestants into the villa this week, Chris and Francesca.
Chris Taylor, 28, who is a Business Development Manager, may have gone down well in the Love Island villa, but outside, the star’s tattoos have caused outrage.
On his chest, Chris sports a tattoo of a woman wearing a Native American headdress, which sits next to an image of an owl.
Below on his hip, Chris also has the Latin for “I came, I saw, I conquered”, inked onto his skin.
Eagle-eyed Love Island viewers have been quick to call him out for the “tasteless” tattoos, with one person tweeting: “Is this the most racist tattoo I've ever seen on Chris Taylor?”
Heart.co.uk reached out to the Native American Rights Fund group, who branded the tattoos as “inappropriate and offensive”, and have said the inkings “affirm negative stereotypes”.
A spokesperson for the group said: “These images show a lack of understanding about the history of Native people, and that we are still alive today – we are not mascots, we are people.
“The use of these images was often rooted in an extensive history of abuse, discrimination, and conquest. The growing body of research around the use of these images shows that they have a harmful impact on our youth, and the youth of non-native people as well.”
They continued to explain: “These images result in lower self-esteem, lower sense of community worth, and a lower view of personal potential for Native youth.
“They also affirm negative stereotypes, directly harming the mental health of Native American youth. Non-Indian youth with little contact with Indigenous peoples come to rely on these stereotypes to inform their own understanding of Native Americans’ place in society, often times leading to discriminatory behaviour.”
They went on to say that “not only are the images inappropriate and offensive”, but also “harmful to our people.”
Viewers have been sharing their anger at the tattoos on social media, with one tweeting: “Chris can f**k right off with his trashy, tasteless, cultural-appropriating tattoos.”
Another added: "Am I the only one uncomfortable looking at Chris' tattoo of a Native American woman? #LoveIsland.”
Heart.co.uk have reached out to Love Island bosses for comment.
