Celebrities, brands, and other influencers have a platform where their decisions are often scrutinized, and many of them have come under fire for cultural appropriation. Examples of such grievances include Coachella attendees wearing Native American dress or headwear for the aesthetic, fashion brands capitalizing off of sacred cultural clothing, or non-POC celebrities wearing common hairstyles from the black community (therein lies another problem of praise or idolization from the media for ‘trend-setting’). In this Room for Debate article, “Whose Culture Is It, Anyhow?”, debaters redefine the line between cultural appropriation vs. cultural adoration or the lack thereof.
Debater Adrienne Keene shares the harmful ramifications of “cultural sharing” as she speaks from the Native American perspective. She says the headdresses used for supposed “aesthetics” have powerful meanings in their culture, yet the symbol of dignity is lost in translation by non-native users. She agrees that different cultures shouldn’t be a taboo for commercial brands or celebrities, rather there should be a collaborative effort in order to maintain respect for the culture. Debater Jamia Wilson agrees that the historical/political context must be taken into consideration. She notes the distinct difference between appropriation vs. appreciation: the latter being a way to admire different cultural symbols and the former being the usage of traditions for “fetish, profit, or social capital”.
On the other hand, Laia Garcia and John McWhorter both agree that the adoption of different cultural aspects is inevitable if we want to break social stigmas and stereotypes of different groups. Garcia is diligent in pointing out that letting go of barriers that divide will promote communal progress. McWhorter agrees that a valid argument against cultural appropriation is “that to mimic an oppressed group’s gestures is wrong because you haven’t suffered their oppression”, however, he believes that mannerisms or fashion from different communities should not be reduced to their response to oppression, rather it is a celebration of cultural diversity and beauty.
So ultimately, is cultural appropriation inevitable? Is there a way for us to find a middle ground between exploitation and appreciation? Or should elements of fashion, music, and the arts be restricted to use by only that respective culture?
I think there is a way to find a middle ground between exploitation and appreciation. To do this, people should be allowed to express elements of another's culture, but only under certain circumstances. For example, utilizing a costume to represent an entirety of a culture is degrading. At times, it can be used to enforce a derogatory stereotype of a culture. This is also true when it is incorporated into a new trend as it undermines what one has gone through. Imitating a particular culture should not be encouraged. However, if a celebrity is not intending to be offensive and instead is respectfully "borrowing" their culture, they should be allowed to continue to do so. Music and the arts can be a way for celebrities to appreciate a respective culture without being offensive. This can be perceived as their way of showing their support for their culture and celebrating it. In this sense, I agree with McWhorter's view on how sharing a respective culture's mannerisms can be a way to celebrate cultural diversity and beauty. Therefore, appreciation of various communities can be expressed through the involvement of music, the arts, and other characteristics of a respective culture and further unite different groups of individuals.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kimberly about how there can be a middle ground between exploration and appreciation. People can still understand and learn different cultures without being offensive to the other culture. Society today needs to find a middle ground to everything unless it’s going to be a constant battle between each culture. If the world constantly fights with one another, no one will be able to figure out how one culture is more oppressed than the other since the other cultures will be upset that they aren't getting the attention they believe they deserve. Personally, it takes the older generation to teach their kids about the importance of respecting each culture to make a change.
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