Explaining Cultural Appropriation To Your Friend

WHAT IS CULTURAL APPROPRIATION?

Cultural appropriation, just like any of the other myriad of politically correct topics that surround the youth of today, is a hugely controversial and potentially touchy topic for many people. I myself experience unexpected resistance when trying to educate my fellow comrades on the importance of understanding what cultural appropriation is. 

First, let's begin with a definition, from the website, 'hercampus.com', :

Culture Appropriation results in the act of members of a dominate culture take or borrow things from another culture belonging to a minority group without their concern nor completely understanding its genuine value and originality.

Just to back this up, I'll quote our completely trustworthy friend, Wikipedia. 

“appropriation” or “misappropriation” refers to the adoption of these cultural elements in a colonial manner: elements are copied from a minority culture by members of the dominant culture, and these elements are used outside of their original cultural context—sometimes even against the expressed, stated wishes of representatives of the originating culture.

Often, the original meaning of these cultural elements is lost or distorted, which means that these uses may be viewed as disrespectful by members of the originating culture, or even as a form of desecration. Cultural elements which may have deep meaning to the original culture can be reduced to “exotic” fashion by those from the dominant culture. When this is done, the imitator, “who does not experience that oppression is able to ‘play,’ temporarily, an ‘exotic’ other, without experiencing any of the daily discriminations faced by other cultures

Time for some examples from the ever expanding vault of pop culture. 

1. The 'Miley' : Remember when Miley Cyrus made the news for being 'raunchy' and twerking at the 2013 VMAs and everyone was criticising her for being too sexual and straying from her 'good-girl Country bumpkin made it big in wholesome Christian temperance'? Well, I agree she should be given a talking to but not because of her outfit or sexualisation of the self but because of her unashamed cultural appropriation! 

   

   No, Miley. NO.

The whole problem with this - meaning Miley twerking on stage-  is that she is perpetuating the tiresome trope that black women are hyper sexual. She uses black culture but isn't willing to let black people own it for themselves. She purposely imitated 'crunk' music videos and said she feels Lil Kim in her and that she loves 'hood music' but yet instead of a tribute to black culture, it came off as a minstrel show. She came off like a wealthy young white woman from the South performing garish imitations of black music and thus reducing black dancers to background props and black women to exaggerated sex objects. It was also problematic because to Miley, black culture is a costume. She can play around with it but when she's tired of it, she can put it away and become white, privileged Miley once again. Tell that to the millions of minorities , especially black people, who have to experience police brutality daily and racial profiling! Tell that to those people who cannot apply and discard their blackness at will. Perhaps Nicki Minaj puts it the best,  

Come on, you can’t want the good without the bad. If you want to enjoy our culture and our lifestyle, bond with us, dance with us, have fun with us, twerk with us, rap with us, then you should also want to know what affects us, what is bothering us, what we feel is unfair to us. You shouldn’t not want to know that.’

2. The Tay-Tay 

Again, America?

The exact same as Miley Cyrus, with the whole objectification of black women's bodies. She is portrayed as a fun-loving good girl who looks up in wonder and amazement at the black bodies of her dancers.  Again, it's the whole 'look at them' narrative: She's like oh HOW DOOO they do that? Look at my dancers . I'm the funny, interesting girl who embarrasses herself in front of the cool kids. They're just sexualised objects dancing in the background.
Guys! IT IS NOT ethnically 'inclusive' when you include POC just as your background dancers. Also, Tay Tay shot a video in Africa without one single black African in it/ POC. 

To quote from Jezebel, 

In a white-centric world, putting white women quite literally in the center of the frame while women of color are off to the side is a powerful, disrespectful visual message, and it really must be said: Human beings are not accessories. These women might be her friends, but the general dynamic created is that she is in charge and they are in service to her.

3. The Lana


Lana Del Rey is a little bit of a problematic fave for me. Okay, of course she is. Not a little, a LOT. How can ANY wannabe-hipster kid not have ,at least ONCE, flirted with Lana's sad-old school-Hollywood style?

... And then this happened. Lana, this is blatant disrespect for the spiritually and culturally-heavy symbol of the Native American culture that is the headdress. I felt personally ashamed that a grown person could have so little intuition or human decency to respect someone else's culture and not profit of someone's culture.

BTW She also pretended to be a Latina Biker Chick, a 'chola' and a stripper. Okay, why is this problematic? LANA CAN TAKE ALL OF THIS OFF! She has no idea what it is like being a Latina and by presenting Latinas in such a narrow sliver , she is perpetuating harmful stereotypes. If you are still of the "Explain WHY LANA DEL REY IS WRONG!!!!" mentality, I suggest you click on the link.














In conclusion, I'd also like to quote Jezebel for saying what I could not have put more eloquently:

Let's not get it twisted: The exchange and flow of ideas between cultures can be a beautiful thing. I believe in cross-pollination and being inspired by those whose experience is not like your own. If Miley is inspired by gold teeth and bounce music and has friends who are rappers, that's not a problem. But when she uses these things to re-style her own image, she veers into dangerous territory. If she didn't have the grill, if the black women were integrated throughout the video instead of being segregated to one weird scene, if she hadn't worn that headband… This clip might not have been so problematic.

But it's important to understand that Miley is very privileged to be able to play dress up and adorn herself with the trappings of an oppressed/minority culture. She can play at blackness without being burdened by the reality of it 

XOXOXO,
M