It is that time of the year again where everyone is looking for the perfect Halloween costume, so I thought I would talk about cultural appropriation vs. appreciation so that you don’t have to make the mistake of making fun of someone’s culture. While it may be just a fad for some, to others it is a part of who they are.
In the spirit of the holidays and it being October, I decided to do my blog on cultural appropriation. My friend and I were talking about this the other day so it inspired me to write about it. How can someone know if they are appreciating or appropriating one’s culture? There is a huge difference.
First, let me start off by discussing why it is such a big deal because some people really just do not understand why certain people get offended, but it isn’t because they are trying to be mean, they are just not aware as they may have never been taught why it can be hurtful. Why is it a big deal? It’s a big deal because usually the people who do it are a part of the dominant group who do not really face any racial discrimination. The dominant group borrows something they saw from the marginalized groups who have faced oppression or have been stigmatized. Usually that something tends to be visual with hair, clothes and even skin tone.
Cultural appropriation is defined as “a sociological concept which views the adoption or use of elements of one culture by members of a different culture as a largely negative phenomenon.”
Let’s start off with an example of appropriation. A white male wearing cornrows and painting themselves black to resemble a black rapper is absolutely appropriation. Why is it a big deal and why is this considered appropriation as opposed to appreciation? Well, black people have been oppressed and have been denied the ability to wear their natural hair which to a lot may consist of cornrows. Yes, there are still companies prohibiting natural hair, so when a white privileged person uses it as a costume and makes it look “cute” and wearable, it is almost a joke and it can make marginalized people feel like they are being denied of who they are. It looks cute when a white person does it, but when a black person does it they get fired. It is almost like them showing that they are so privileged that everything they do becomes a trend and when people of that actual culture are getting fired and facing real discrimination and consequences, it is just unfair.
What is cultural appreciation? It is when you respect something of someone’s culture so much that you to want to be apart of it and share the beauty you find within it in a way that is respectful and mindful of that culture. For example, getting henna done for a south Asian friend’s wedding. Dazed said, “You are surrounded by people of the culture, you’re using it as a means to relate them in that environment and nobody’s profiting off of it who isn’t south Asian. This is appreciating someone’s culture, not mimicking it before Coachella.”
There is a really cool video I found by Decoded on cultural appropriation that discusses the 7 myths associated with it. I also found a really good video talking about appreciation vs. appropriation. I also found a video talking about cultural appropriation.