Daughter of Okla. governor defends headdress photo

This photo posted to Christina Fallin's Instragram account shows Fallin, the daughter of Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, wearing a Native American headdress. Christina Fallin is defending herself after she posted the photo on social media sites. In a statement to The Associated Press, she says that with age, she feels a “deeper and deeper connection to the Native American culture.”
This photo posted to Christina Fallin's Instragram account shows Fallin, the daughter of Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, wearing a Native American headdress. Christina Fallin is defending herself after she posted the photo on social media sites. In a statement to The Associated Press, she says that with age, she feels a “deeper and deeper connection to the Native American culture.”

OKLAHOMA CITY — The daughter of Oklahoma's governor, who is part of a punk band and has posed for revealing photos at the state mansion, defended herself Friday after posting a photo of herself in a Native American headdress that critics called insensitive.

Christina Fallin, who is not Native American, wears a red-and-white feathered headdress in the post, which includes the phrase "appropriate culturation." The post says the photo was taken at Remington Park, a racetrack and casino owned by the Chickasaw Nation, one of the state's most powerful tribes.

The photo was posted Thursday to Fallin's Instagram account and the Facebook page for her band, but was later replaced with a statement saying she felt the "deepest respect" for Native American culture and asking people to forgive her for wearing beautiful things.

Fallin, the daughter of Oklahoma's first female governor, Mary Fallin, made headlines in 2011 after a photo shoot at the governor's mansion. A local magazine focused on 20-somethings posted videos from the session, showing her strolling around the mansion property in avant-garde fashions.

Those videos were removed from the magazine's website after some people said they were distasteful. Christina Fallin issued a statement at that time saying she was thrilled to be a part of the magazine.

The 26-year-old Fallin is currently a marketing consultant for and appears in another local magazine that features fashion trends, health tips and beauty advice. She is also part of a local band that describes itself as "electronic-punk."

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