The Headache That Is Cultural Appropriation
- Bryanne Jones
- Feb 16, 2025
- 5 min read
I mean, why can't we all hug and sing Kumbaya together?
By the way, did you know the song "Kumbaya" has African-American roots?
Now let me ask you a few questions, feel free to leave whenever or ask questions, this is a semi-safe space.
And... how do you feel about this?
Or this?
Or this? This right here is a classic. Can you spot all the gestures?
There are right and wrong answers to these pictures! In case you were wondering. If you didn't have a negative feeling about those, it's time to read and catch up! But before we move on, it would be beneficial to know just what cultural appropriation and appreciation is.
Cultural Appropriation vs. Appreciation
If we want to be thorough, there are three very good definitions of cultural appropriation.
"It is the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect the culture." (Cambridge English Dictionary)
"It is the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of on people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society." (Oxford English Dictionary)
"It is the adoption of elements of a minority culture by members of the dominant culture." (Wikipedia)
So what do you know, it has roots in power and colonialism. Like almost everything else in the world. We could go on and on about how this is directly related to racism and ignorance and everything else, but I think you get the point.
On the flip side, cultural appreciation is respectfully engaging with another culture and understanding the history and meaning behind it. You are acknowledging and appropriately adopting things because you understand the culture, and it is always good to stay informed.
The fact is anyone can do cultural appropriation, even if the intent was innocent because of how they were raised or taught. Some people truly don't know, but the main thing is how someone addresses the act. It is very easy to look up something, educate yourself, and realize you were wrong. They gain respect and understand how this specific thing should be done with what intentions.
Back to The Pictures...
Now, let's review. Katy Perry, one of the most iconic American pop stars, no doubt, wearing cornrows. This may be a shocker to some, but braids are not "just hair," there is cultural significance to them. When African Americans were slaves, they used cornrows to communicate with each other. Women would braid hair into the shape of maps, braid things like rice and seeds into their hair for when they tried escaping, and even the amount of braids could symbolize times when people would meet up. Do you think Katy Perry back in 2014 knew this? I wouldn't bet on it. I don't know if it would be better or worse if she did, considering other things that were in the music video!
And what about those girls attending Coachella? Those are Native American headdresses and unfortunately, Native American culture has seen too much cultural appropriation in the US. The headdresses are a symbol of leadership and the number of feathers symbolizes a position of leadership, but most notably, only those in the tribes who have earned the right and honor by their people can wear the headdresses. I can guarantee you those girls in that photo earned no right and no honor.
And last but definitely not least, the prom picture with the cheongsam and all the hand symbols. You have the girls doing a traditional Chinese greeting or prayer while the boys are... doing gang signs? That is a whole other discussion, but long story short, it would be very bad for them if they did those signs in specific areas.
As for the girl's cheongsam. Thanks to the article "'My culture is NOT your prom dress!' Twitter users accuse teen of insensitivity after she wore a Chinese 'qipao' dress to the big dance - but she insists she was showing 'appreciation'" by Aoibhinn Mc Bride, we have a clear picture of her thought process which is very important. Conveniently for us, this all happened on Twitter, though unfortunately these posts have been deleted since 2018.
She found the dress at a vintage shop and she thought it was beautiful. Okay, absolutely nothing wrong with that. She says she appreciates Chinese culture, nothing wrong with that either. It sounds like she had good intentions.
But she loses me when she erases the meaning of the dress in one sentence, "It’s a f**king dress." Even though it might not be how she meant it, she's effectively saying it's just a dress. Cheongsams were worn by female students in 1912 in protest for gender equality because the garment resembled the men's garment changshan or changpao. It only became popular nearly 2 decades later, and wealthy Chinese women in the 1930s skyrocketed its popularity. From then on, it was associated with a woman's education status, modernity, and the wealthy. So it is not just a dress, to many Chinese women, it was a symbol of progression and activism.
This could've been a great lesson for the girl if she chose to use this situation and educate herself, but I have no idea if she did or not.
All in all, cultural appropriation is far too prominent, and with the influence of social media, dare I say it's worse. But remember, one can always rise above their actions by correcting their mistakes and educating oneself. However, I cannot say everyone who has done appropriation has done that, nor has apologized!
That's all for this week! Thank you for reading with me this week about cultural appropriation and appreciation, and I hope you found it informative. Stick around next week for my first podcast episode!
Xoxo, Bree
If you want to start doing your own research about cultural appropriation in the fashion industry, I recommend these articles! The first article reviews how cultural appropriation came to be and how some fashion brands including Gucci and Marc Jacobs have participated in it. The second article talks about the difference between inspiration and cultural appropriation.
How Cultural Appropriation Became a Hot-button Issue for Fashion
https://wwd.com/feature/how-cultural-appropriation-became-a-hot-button-issue-for-fashion-1234579968/
When Does Inspiration Become Cultural Appropriation in The Fashion Industry?
There are more blogs that do a great review and commentary on this topic as well, check them out below. Additionally, if you're interested in more fashion industry content, I also suggest following them as well:
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