Sophie Wessex hat today at Ascot

[MrsJakeLovell]

I feel a bit uncomfortable with the fact that the hat is called a 'Coolie'.

Yes, I know the name is a style of hat but isn't the word considered derogatory these days?

www.janetaylorlondon.com/shop/new-arrivals/patent-braided-coolie/

You lot are so good at articulating my thoughts and feelings I need help to rationalise this!

Would you look at the price of that

What's a coolie, maybe the person who named the hat has never heard of it, like me

Is there nothing that doesn't offend people these days ?

Quick Google and it appears to be named after this en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_conical_hat
Not the racist term which I'm still wondering if that's widespread usage I've never ever heard it

What’s a coolie?

. Bloody hell the price of that, never mind the stupid name!!!

So you think that they just randomly made up a word and it just happened to be an offensive term, @WeShould?

Yes, I know it is a style of hat but as far as I'm aware the word is used as an offensive term for labourers.

I'm not sure if my discomfort is legitimate which is why I've asked, flapjackfairy.

I agree #1200 for that though!

is cookie offensive? I guess it could be a sort of generic catch all term that whites people use that shows a lack of understanding of Asian culture. But I’m just guessing.

I lived in Singapore as a child and the cook at the Mess introduced himself as the coolie. But I think the conical hats like the Ascot hat were called farmers hats locally.

1200 wing-wangs. Blimey.

And although I know better than to take my research from here, according to Wikipedia:

However, coolie is now regarded as derogatory and/or a racial slur in the Caribbean, Africa, Oceania, North America, South America, Southeast Asia and Europe – in reference to people from Asia.[a] This is particularly so in South Africa, East Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, Mauritius, Fiji, and the Malay Peninsula.[5] In 2000, the parliament of South Africa enacted the Promotion of Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, which has among its primary objectives the prevention of hate speech terms such as coolie (koelie).[6]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coolie

I think I land on the side that she shouldn't have worn it if there is any question - there are many inoffensively named titfers!

hmm...I didn't know it was an offensive term. Where I come from the porters who help carry luggage at train stations were called Coolies. There are hardly any more of them now. The wikipedia page says peon is similar, so is that offensive too? As that is used as well back home for office boys.

Never heard of it being an offensive term ......I expect most people haven't either. 🙄

flapjackfairy
is there nothing that doesn't offend people these days?

I doubt it. It must be exhausting dredging through media to find something, anything, to virtue signal about.

There's so much in the world that is wrong and should be confronted but I guess it's easier to make it all about someone's hat.

People need to get a grip. It's a term for the style of hat. Jeez.

Dunno about the name thing but the picture of her wearing the horrible thing reminded me of The Joker

Give her a break, remember the poor woman has put up with Eddie for 20 odd years

I’m in my mid 50s and know “coolie” an an offensive colonialist sort of term for someone who isn’t white. Surprised I am the only one, but maybe it’s dropped out of fashion amongst racists.

It’s a bit arrogant to assume that because you yourself have never heard of an offensive term then no one else has.

The name of the hat came first.

It was the favoured wear of labourers. So the term Coolie’s was coined to describe the labourers.

Over time it was deemed offensive to nickname the labourers as coolie’s because it was not used as an affectionate nickname but as being a put down/sneer to the labourers or anyone wearing one to be taken as being a labourer. Fair enough.

Therefore calling people Coolie’s/Coolies is disrespectful.

But the name of the style of the hat remains the same - a coolie. It’s not offensive to call a hat a coolie based on its design.

Calling someone a stuffed shirt is derogatory. Calling a shirt a shirt isn’t.

It's in common usage for lampshades too. www.diy.com/departments/coolie-cream-glitter-light-shade-d-360mm/258049_BQ.prd?ds_kids=92700029894459442&gclid=CjwKCAjw3azoBRAXEiwA-_64Ol7XZsl9MlXVQgNZN1TpgyqTpyb-fTzKy6Pp92cAmJNa3IuwXPUvhhoCItIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

It's beautiful

Have you been on the receiving end of this as a racial slur OP?

I think it's pretty much accepted that "coolie" is a disparaging term and not one I'd use, kind of weird that they've called the product that.

It looks like a head-attachable umbrella!
I'd never heard of Coolie before either and had to look it up.