Miley Cyrus Cultural Appropriation

Cultural appropriation is not seen exclusively in dance but rather a multitude of pop culture. For example in fashion. Fashion is a huge part of today's culture, and many designers created their clothing through the inspiration of other objects and or culture. Appropriation begins to

Her clothes accentuate her cleavage or have a sexual shock factor, such as wearing “sequined pasties…[that] coordinate with the rest of her attire”. The vulgar, sexual nature of her raps makes it impossible for her to not receive attention from the media. Another artist, Eve, dresses sexually to accentuate her body and appears in videos with music video models but raps about social issues like domestic violence. By comparing the nature of these artists and their music, Perry tries to show that young girls have very few role models in hip hop that promote positive feminists values and body images. But, she neglects to discuss other feminist artists she mentions in the essay such as Destiny’s Child and Mary J. Blige and how their lyrics and actions in the media allow young black girls to have positive role models that show a woman can be independent, strong, and beautiful in their own way. Perry’s focus on the more sexualized female artists in hip hop and how their shocking appearance and lyrics allow them to be as successful as their male counterparts took away from the development of her argument about conservative artists and their success. By leading the reader to believe that artists are either overly-sexual or conservative, Perry limits how the reader forms an opinion on why or why not young girls’ body image may be threatened by the media and the hip hop

One celebrity that always comes to mind for cultural appropriation is Kylie Jenner. On February 7, 2015, she posted a picture of her with dreadlocks. Receiving so many hate comments of cultural appropriation, she finally apologized and said the comment; “cultural appropriation is okay, but to an extent”

Although I do agree with both of these statements. I also believe that as African Americans are rebelling against the norm and embracing their culture there has also been a rise in culture appropriation. Celebrities often wear things or do things which have usually have been associated negatively with a certain culture. For example, individual who styles their hair in cornrows. African Americans were often ridiculed for wear in their hair in this fashion so when individuals of the same group who were the ones that deemed that hairstyle inappropriate wear and do not acknowledge the struggle of it can be strange. More women and men are wearing their hair natural but I also have seen more people who do not have naturally curly hair trying to change

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

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.

“…the appropriation of hip-hop cultural forms suggest not that whites want a black identity: rather, they want characteristics of blackness.” (Perry 2002, 109). This is quote by Pamela Perry, a sociologist as University of California Santa Cruz, from her book Shades of White:White Kids and Racial Identities in High School. Pamela Perry is a sociologist from University of California, Santa Cruz, throughout her book she touches on the idea of white children developing a sort of identity crisis depending on their environment. This quote helps put the appropriation of African American culture in its simplest terms. In most cases people associate Hip Hop culture with African Americans. With that being said, many artist of different genres who attempt to have a more hip hop vibe, fall subject to appropriating African American Culture. Various artist have been appropriating culture in several different ways whether it’s through dance, sound, or even image.

While Kylie Jenner’s faux dreadlocks for her ‘rebel-themed’ Teen Vogue photoshoot were described as beautiful, edgy, and raw by various style magazines, Zendaya Coleman’s dreadlocks she wore on the Oscars red carpet were described as making her look like she “smells like patchouli oil. Or, weed," by Fashion Police host Giuliana Rancic. America loves to appropriate black culture, even when black people themselves, don’t receive the same amount of love from America. From box braids to dashikis, black culture has been stolen by America and used for their own personal gain, disregarding the historical context and meaning of these traditions or blatantly perpetuating stereotypes.

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.

The idea of culture means different things to different people. Groups and communities are often separated by having clearly defined cultural traditions, clothing, and attitudes. However, these cultural distinctions are sometimes adopted by others who do not belong to the community that the appropriated ideas are from. This cultural appropriation is often present in popular culture in the United States. Several examples exist in the American pop music industry. While most instances of cultural appropriation in American pop music may seem to consist of white performers appropriating “black” culture, another important example is the appropriation of Native American culture.

Another reason I believe Black culture appropriation is a problem is the simple fact that “Everyone wants to be black until it’s time to be black.” Those who enjoy and partake in black culture are silent when it comes to their problems and issues. They seem to be able to “switch” back and forth from black with dances and styles, to white when problems arise. In our society, White people don 't have to deal with their people being ruthlessly killed every other day. We have to teach our children how to talk to officers so they come home safe. A tweet by black artist, Azealia Banks said: “It’s funny to see some people like Igloo Australia (Iggy Azalea) silent when things happen (police brutality). Black culture is cool, but black issues sure aren’t , huh?” White celebrities that are in the hip-hop genre and “adopted blackness never spoke about the racism that goes along with blackness.” They wear black hairstyles, partake in black dances, and listen to black artists, but never have to deal with their people being murdered in the streets.

Since its emergence in the 1980s, hip-hop has taken the world by storm; it has impacted and revolutionized the way people behave, dress, and think. Hip-hop music enables people to connect in a way they would never be able to with any other genre of music. Although, hip-hop has swayed different generations over the years, its influence has not always been positive. In the past, hip-hop focused more on current events in society, personal struggles, life experiences and serving as a voice for the youth. However in recent years, hip-hop music has begun to promulgate a lust for material affluence, and in doing so romanticizes violence, drug usage, and the exploitation of women. No longer is hip-hop about what moves the audience rhythmically and makes them think; today it’s all about what sells, sex. In the past, sexual content and appeal was simply i in lyrics and music videos to spice things up, but now it is virtually an essential.

In Western culture, people seldom realize the amount of cultural appropriation that occurs around them. Westerners are blinded by cultural mockery and cultural appropriation without realizing its offensive effects to minority groups. During the Halloween holiday, in Western culture, people of all ages dress up in a variety of costumes such as horror themed, fairy tale themed, job themed, cultural themed and much more. Harvard University members have argued that a cultural themed costume is a form of cultural appropriation. Also in Western culture, in the music industry, white artists have utilized and exploited aspects from minority cultures to boost their fame. Costumes, props, ideas, music, and others considered as cultural appropriation is often overlooked but it is apparent when closely examined.

When Katy Perry performed her “Geisha-style” show, the viewers around the globe witnessed her clueless racism firsthand in a performance of “Unconditionally” apparently inspired Japanese culture, and perhaps an unhealthy fascination with geishas. Within minutes after the performance, a lot of criticisms appeared in the social media. Although Katy Perry carefully prepared the performance, what she gained was only complaints. Once people know one is a cultural appropriator, it is hard to rehabilitate the sullied reputation. Cultural appropriation is similar to plagiarism in academic communities.

Cultural appropriation is the adoption or use of elements in one culture by members of another culture. There has been a lot of cultural appropriation throughout the years. Lately, many people have been noticing it more often. One of the largest issues in the cultural appropriation that has hit the media lately is hair. There have been many white celebrities who have been culturally appropriating Black hairstyles. The most recent have been the Jenner/Kardashian sisters. On the other hand, some believe the same goes for vice versa; African-Americans have been appropriating White culture. One example can be Malcolm X. He even wrote a speech about how he realized that wearing a conk made him look more “White” and he felt he was trying to be exactly that. Recently, that idea has changed. Many people believe that it is only cultural appropriation when a White person does it. This social issue has been a large debate on whether White people are culturally appropriating Black culture by wearing traditionally Black hairstyles.