Cultural Appropriation
“The key to understanding what cultural appropriation is (and is not), and why it matters lies not in the fact that traditions are transferred across cultures but in the social context in which this exchange is
happening.”
Hi Friends!
Welcome to Issue 12 of this newsletter! This week’s topic is Cultural Appropriation. Cultural appropriation is a term for when members of one culture adopt attributes of another culture. These elements can include music, attire, food, art, or other iconography. The connotation of appropriation, which is "to take for oneself," differs from honoring or being influenced by other cultures. Most of the time, the question arises, “well how do you know the difference between appreciation and appropriation?” and I never quite knew how to answer that in the right way. Today, we’re going to talk a little bit more about it and see if we can come up with an answer. Let’s get into it!
Key Terms
Cultural Appropriation: The adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity. This can be controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from marginalized cultures. Cultural appropriation differs from acculturation, assimilation, or equal cultural exchange in that this appropriation is a form of colonialism. When cultural elements are copied from a marginalized culture by members of a dominant culture, these elements are used outside of their original cultural context. Often, members of the originating culture expressly state they do not condone being used in this way because the original meaning of these cultural elements are lost or distorted when they are removed from their originating cultural contexts, and such displays are disrespectful and can even be a form of desecration.
Strategic Antiessentialism: The act of adopting elements of culture outside of your own and using them to define yourself or your group to challenge an imposed cultural identity. Unlike cultural appropriation, strategic anti-essentialism can be practiced by both minority cultures and majority cultures
Antiessentialism: The idea that there is not a single experience shared by members of an identity group that defines what that group is.
Let’s Get Into It
Is it okay to get your hair braided in cornrows when you go on a cruise with your family to the caribbean? Should you have a Luau themed party? Can you dress as an Indian or a Geisha for Halloween? Is it okay to wear big hoop earrings? Should you wear henna? Is it okay to buy that shirt from etsy that says “Pizza is My Spirit Animal” without knowing what a spirit animal is? Can blackface be funny sometimes, like if a famous comedian wears it on a TV show or in a movie?
There’s no rule book on cultural appropriation, but there are some key reasons why it can be offensive and harmful. Let’s talk about where the term comes from, some examples of how it functions in our society, and how we can be more mindful, thoughtful, and conscious, while still appreciating cultures other than our own.
The History Of The Term “Cultural Appropriation”
Cultural diffusion was coined by cultural anthropologist, Edward Tylor, in the late 19th century and describes the human process of transferring elements of culture between societies. There are three mechanisms through which cultural diffusion occurs:
Direct diffusion: when two cultures are geographically close to each other, resulting in intermarriage, trade, and even conflict. For example, the exchange of culture, art, music, language, and food between the United States and Mexico.
Forced Diffusion: when one culture subjugates another and forces its own customs on the conquered people. For example, colonizers forcing indigenous peoples to adopt their religion.
Indirect Diffusion: when traits are passed from one culture to another culture, without the first and final cultures being in direct contact. An example could be the presence of pizza in Indonesia, influenced by global media and the market created by tourists and transplants from North America and Europe.
Examples Of Cultural Appropriation
When actor Zendaya wore dreadlocks to the Oscars, Fashion Police host, Giuliana Rancic who said, “Like, I feel like she smells like patchouli oil. Or weed.” That same year, Kylie Jenner, was described as “edgy”, “raw”, and “boundary pushing” for wearing dreadlock extensions in her first Teen Vogue cover-shoot. Rancic apologized, citing the cliches and stereotypes she was reinforcing.
Black children are expelled from school and Black women are fired from their jobs because their hairstyles are seen as unprofessional, yet celebrities like The Kardashians, are constantly praised for their “trendy” incorporation of traditionally Black hairstyles into their daily looks. Kim Kardashian called her Fulani braids “Bo Derek Braids” and after receiving backlash for crediting a white women with this traditional braiding style, captioned her instagram photo “Hi, can i get zero fucks please, thanks”.
Miley Cyrus took out her dreadlocks, stopped wearing her grills, and denounced her hip-hop persona after wearing it like a Halloween costume by saying “I also love that Kendrick [Lamar] song [‘Humble’]: ‘Show me somethin’ natural like ass with some stretch marks,’ . . . I love that because it’s not, ‘Come sit on my dick, suck on my cock.’ I can’t listen to that anymore. That’s what pushed me out of the hip-hop scene a little. It was too much ‘Lamborghini, got my Rolex, got a girl on my cock’ — I am so not that.” She doesn’t acknowledge hip hops rich history, birthing from the Bronx (where my mom and dad were both raised) in the 1970s. The way it revolutionized music, culture and fashion. Cyrus apologized saying her statements were “insensitive as it is a privilege to have the ability to dip in and out of ‘the scene.'”
I chose all of these examples specifically because their are paired with, what I believe, is the big differentiating factor between appreciating and appropriating culture: a lack of knowledge, understanding and education on the thing you are talking about or the element you are adopting. In my research, I found an article about a Vietnamese and Mexican YouTuber who captioned a photo of her in braids with an acknowledgement and appreciation for Black culture and the fact that many women and girls are expelled or fired for these same hairstyles. In my personal opinion, this seems like cultural appreciation, or a cultural exchange, rather than a taking. But remember, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, especially marginalized individuals who bare the burden of these inequities.
How To Be Mindful
I just got engaged to my Chinese, Korean and Puerto Rican partner, and his mom mentioned me wearing a traditional Chinese dress for a portion of our wedding. Folks might see pictures of that and think I have no ties to that culture, no understanding of that history, and no right to wear those clothes. I can do my research, learn from his family, and accept the invitation to be a part of their traditions, but the outside world might either not know that, or not think it is enough. For me, it’s about taking into consideration these things:
Do I know what this cultural element means and how it is traditionally used?
Am I wearing this culture like a costume?
Am I trying to get a laugh or be funny?
Have I given credit to the culture that has inspired me through education and acknowledgement?
Am I profiting off of something that a marginalized group created?
Ultimately, no one knows if you have done the work to adopt an element of another culture in a thoughtful and conscious way, but you know. And if you get it wrong, there is always time to apologize and learn something new while taking responsibility.
Lastly, I leave you with this. When you’re considering a fashion statement, a themed party, a holiday celebration or a Halloween costume, ask yourself the tough questions. Do you need to celebrate “Cinco De Drinko” or can you reconsider how this could still be offensive? Do you have to have a Luau themed party, or can you just have a summer BBQ and instead spend some time learning about the potential detonation of WWII era bombs that could devastate local marine life in Molokini? When Halloween rolls around, instead of being an entire culture embodied in a single stereotypical form, could you be something else? And remember, blackface is never funny or appropriate. Just because you CAN do something, doesn’t always mean you SHOULD.
In Summary…
Next week, we’re talking about Redlining. The term “redlining” was coined by sociologist John McKnight in the 1960s and derives from how the federal government and lenders would literally draw a red line on a map around the neighborhoods they would not invest in based on demographics alone. Black inner-city neighborhoods were most likely to be redlined. See you there!
