Cultural Appropriation : Disrespects Of A Minority Culture

It is a term that has dominated the media; from Halloween costumes to NFL mascots, headlines across the nation blare the words: “cultural appropriation.” Yet, many still are not quite sure what the term means. To put it simply, cultural appropriation is the exploitation of a culture that is not one’s own.

Cultural appropriation is something that is starting to become a very big epidemic in America’s society today. Appropriation occurs when a style or high fashion is developed from racist generalizations or stereotypes of other cultures. Many see no problem with this appropriation and some might take it as paying homage to a race, but others may see it as a sign of disrespect.

Racial and cultural appropriation has become increasingly significant in society within the past 30 years. “The idea of “cultural appropriation” has recently entered mainstream

Cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. Two very different terms that many individuals have yet to comprehend. It’s understandable, it can be daunting trying to figure out how to please everyone or at a minimum not offend anyone. The difference between the two is not always clear. There is a very thin line to walk on.

Appropriation allows those people who are appropriating to remain prejudice and/or ignore the racism the black community is dealing with. Maisha

Other accounts of assimilation can be seen in the majority of minorities in the United States, without representation or credibility of the roots in which it stems from. Cultural appropriation is becoming a popular aesthetic outlet. Pop culture is thriving at the hands of theft, and people are neglecting the recognition of historical context and customs of minorities.

Anyone who knows me, knows me knows that I love to watch reruns of “What not to wear” on TLC, As it teaches me something I clearly know nothing about, fashion. However anyone who is in my Spanish class known that I not only care about my culture but others as well. This school year has been interesting both fashion-wise and politically, from the Kylie Jenner Lip challenge, to Donald Trump running for president. It has been such a weird school year however, that it has pointed out a sad fact about the current fashion world, that is prevalent through the politics we discuss in our everyday lives, and that is cultural appropriation. As cultural appropriation according to the Oxford Dictionary is “A term used to describe the taking over of creative or artistic forms, themes, or practices by one cultural group from another. It is in general used to describe Western appropriations of non‐Western or non‐white forms, and carries connotations of exploitation and dominance.” And despite how much we would like to believe that this issue doesn’t exist in our present day society, if one looks In clothing stores, fashion magazines, and even Halloween parties, cultural theft is occurring. This can be seen especially with indigenous cultures as: elements of indigenous cultures are morphed into fashion trends and costumes for those who will never understand their significance. “Navajo print” leggings, “tribal” jewelry, and “Indian princess” Halloween costumes are examples of gross

In most cases of cultural appropriation, it is seen in a negative light because of the context it is shown it. The first image I will be looking at is Karlie Kloss wearing a war bonnet that is characteristic of the native Americans, at the Victoria Secret Fashion Show. The part where Karlie walked down the runway in this ‘costume’ was edited out of the VS Fashion Show footage, as many native Americans found it to be insulting and insensitive.

As our country evolves with different cultures from around the world, people are unaware of the fine-line between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. So, what is cultural appropriation? Cultural appropriation is when members of a dominate culture, mainly white, borrow from the cultures of minority groups without their input. While there are many people who feel disrespected by others using their culture, there are still people who appreciate and value ones culture.

The article is about cultural appropriation. Awareness of cultural appropriation surface when there seems to be a misuse of a culture. Cultural appropriation describes the borrowing of a culture as inappropriate. In the United States, there have been debates about the misuses of different cultures, especially towards the African American culture. We live in a new digital world that gives us instant access to many of the cultures all around the world. When using another culture there should be familiarity and knowledge of the meanings of the particular culture.

At a birthday party there is an African American boy wearing a sombrero while hitting a piñata. Down the street, there is a Russian girl who dances with a Japanese fan that her neighbor gifted. These two children, according to the current media, are displaying cultural appropriation. In America, citizens have the rarity of experiencing what many call the “Melting Pot” of different cultures and ethnicities. To many other countries, the different cultural exposures are not of such a common privilege. Cultural appropriation is what sets us back from connecting to other cultures around the world. I understand that it may bring misunderstanding of what certain clothing items and practices really mean respect and value wise. However, demonstrating

Cultural appropriation is the adoption or theft of icons, customs, beliefs, or styles from one culture or subculture by another. McWhorter argues,“But what began as a legitimate complaint has morphed into a handy way of being offended by something that should be taken as a compliment.”(McWhorter 1)A multitude of people may believe when there is adoption of one culture it should be seen as a compliment as well because they are appreciating the culture by imitating it into their own. “It used to be that we said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But now there is new way to see the matter: Imitation is a kind of dismissal.” But if not fully understandingthe significance of what is being adopted then to the owning culture it is seen as appropriating and not appreciating. If it was indeed appreciating, time would be taken out to fully understand what and why the culture indulges in the custom or belief and so on. Just noticing a particular act of item in a culture and putting it into your own without the proper

Cultures, like humanity, are constantly changing. As humans evolve so do our definitions of how we define a culture and the people in that culture. It is not a matter of whether cultures change and coalesce into another, because culture cannot remain static, the change is inevitable and will always occur. In recent years, cultural appropriation has become a hot topic, with many sides debating what is or isn’t cultural appropriation, whether it can be labeled as a positive or negative issue, especially when it comes to dance. Many people question the validity of cultural appropriation and if there is still worth to the phrase because it has been so often used to label anything that people may feel slightly offended by, including dance.

Compounding the issue, merchandising and marketing also aid in the appropriation of these cultures because they “continue to sell us costumes that are inarguably politically incorrect and disrespectful to the very identities they are portraying” (Zulch 2015). Some examples of common costumes that are considered to be culturally appropriated are gypsies, Egyptian goddesses, and Geisha girls. One group that is particularly affected by cultural appropriation during the Halloween season is the Native American Indian population. By appropriating Native American culture into Halloween costumes, Americans dismiss the historical Native American Indian genocide, hypersexualize Native American women, and preserve offensive stereotypes regarding Native people.

Cultural appropriation is a huge topic, within today’s society, many question what is cultural appropriation and what is not. The definition of cultural appropriation is, “....the use of ideas, symbols, artifacts, images, objects, etc., derived from contact between different cultures. It often implies a negative view towards the minority culture by the dominant one and is often culturally insensitive”(Biron). Examples of cultural appropriation would be portraying a culture through stereotypical depictions of them or wearing a culture as a ‘trend’. Another example would be wearing a headdress to portray a Native American or wearing a sombrero and a poncho to depict a Mexican. Just those words sound degrading and racist each of these ethnicities. Many think it is socially acceptable to be insensitive to a culture, because they classify the appropriation as them appreciating the culture. Cultural appropriation shows only the stereotypical view of culture and has no regards to the actual culture. Many look at the cultures as inspiration for ideas, but that does not mean to steal the ideas completely. Cultural appropriation is not only insensitive, but also racist. Blackface, for example, was used to portray an African American by painting the face of an non-black actor black. The NFL team Redskins uses an offensive and racist word to label their team; their mascot is a “Native American” wearing headdress. First and foremost, not all Native American cultures wear headdresses, these depictions of Native culture show natives as all the same. Minorities have faced appropriation for decades, but why did this problem only recently come about?