What They Really Mean: These small buns all over the head may have had their origins in the Zulu tribe in the southern part of Africa. While being culturally appreciated by the rest of the world, the decision by the Western nations to now label the chain as belly beads or the beaded waist chains rather than the waist beads can be considered a form of cultural appropriation. The "RuPaul's Drag Race" space Farrah Grumble and the fashion supervisor Instagram account Diet Prada have logged that most high-profile complaints via Grandes either, notably, around her apparent habit of copying accessories from . What Does Cultural Appropriation Really Mean? Should everybody just shop at the Gap and call it a day? If a member of the culture that originated the look were to wear it, might she suffer for it? It denotes that Im ghetto or that Im likely not educated. However, further research points to the fact that the body chains were part of several other ancient civilizations, with recent records showing that the body chains, as well as the linked medallions, were prevalent during the Byzantine Empire. If You Purposely Look For Angel Numbers, Do They Even Mean Anything? Comprehensive research out of Stanford shows we exhibit automatic biases heightened since 9/11 against those wearing turbans, are more prone to perceive innocent objects held by the turban wearer as weapons, and, in video games at least, shoot at them more frequently simply because they wear turbans. Photo by Ed Mumford. (He is one of the richest artists in the world.) I kinda like these. Wearing body chains, especially the waist beads, isnt a form of cultural appropriation but rather cultural appreciation. What to know about cultural appropriation. If you're white, it's likely best not to wear head wraps in public, in the West; to leave it for wear by those people and cultures with a historical attachment to the head wrap. I scrolled through a list of people giving tutorials and got excited. In this they share a bond with other still dominant groups around the world who see in the rise of minorities a diminishment in their own status and so have become determined to reaffirm their identity by excluding the threatening Other(s), as the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek has written. It also just seems very on-the-nose given other things that have been stolen from Native Americans. A former model, Karen is also the youngest and first Black female psychology professor in the social sciences department at the Fashion Institute of Technology. People come together to pray for dead family members and hold various rituals. Still, what most people think of today as cultural appropriation is the opposite: a member of the dominant culture an insider taking from a culture that has historically been and is still treated as subordinate and profiting from it at that cultures expense. Were in part conditioned by popular culture as a whole to believe some things are cool and beautiful and others are are not. But can a more amorphous collective, a culture, likewise be harmed? "This led me to developing a stronger sense of self-identify not in the sense of me identifying as a hijabi or Muslim, because I don't believe these things necessarily define you, but just understanding and knowing who I am as a person. When I wore a kimono for that lecture, I made it my own. So, if you like waist beads or body chains, you should wear them, and have fun with them. As Kat Blaque states in her video on cultural appropriation, There is no larger pressure that white people go under to assimilate into afrocentric beauty standards.. Why You Shouldnt Wear It: Muslim women are bashed for hijabs, yet non-Muslims view it as a chic fashion statement. The curator noted that Hirst was inspired by one such head in the British Museums collection, although no mention was made of how the relic ended up there: It was bought by an Englishman in 1938, shortly after it was unearthed in the then-British colony, for the meager sum of 3 pounds 10 shillings. Your information is being handled in accordance with the, 'Why can't I be myself? If you're wearing it as part of a Halloween costume or to make a political statement, then yes, it's probably cultural appropriation. There is no law on whether or not its acceptable to wear a cheongsam if you are not Chinese. Borrowing is not inherently bad. To be clear: if a costume is a stereotypic portrayal of an entire demographic of people, that should be a red flag for it being appropriative. In 2017, Nigerian artists called attention to the British art star Damien Hirsts installation Treasures From the Wreck of the Unbelievable in Venice, which was so colossal that it filled two museums and reportedly cost millions to produce, including more than $60 million of Hirsts own money. The problem often lies in the fact that, whether it is the artists intention or not, certain looks and sounds and aesthetics are automatically deemed more palatable by society when displayed on or by someone who is white. On an individual level, it can be difficult to determine what is cultural appropriation versus cultural exchange versus appreciation. In America, turbans are often associated with danger. ), A fairly straightforward story of exploitation, no? Being displayed in a museum confers value; Nigeria was not invited to present a national pavilion at the Venice Biennale until 2017 and, even then, the Nigerian artists there were overshadowed in the press by Hirst. Above all, it turned halo-halo into just another commodity a trendy food that didnt need to be understood to be enjoyed and then discarded for the next big thing. Her major was fashion design when she was in college. Why You Shouldn't Wear It: The increasing appearance of the mark on the foreheads of fashionistas around the world under the excuse that it's "so '90s" is not impressing people who wear them as, you know, part of their culture. These chains were not only worn as ornaments but also as important elements in religious ceremonies. In a piece for Everyday Feminism, author Maisha Z. Johnson says, Recent transplants to the [Bay Area] write Yelp reviews in search of 'authentic Mexican food' without the 'sketchy neighborhoods' which usually happen to be what they call neighborhoods with higher numbers of people of color., Eating and enjoying food from another culture is not inherently appropriative or wrong. As author Carvell Wallace writes in a piece on Meghan Trainors blaccent for MTV News, What does it mean that Meghan Trainors voice is, technically, an approximated black one that comes from a white body?. Anyone who lives in a place that is exposed to more than . There is an appeal to the boundaryless world, where we might walk at will, eat and dress, make art, write music and spin stories following whatever whim takes hold, free of the burden of identity. And yet in the 90s, when a few of these producers were squabbling among themselves over rights to the song, one of them tried to make a case that the original tune was not the product of Lindas individual imagination but a traditional Zulu melody: a cultural artifact, like the Scottish Highlands air behind Morning Has Broken (immortalized by the British singer Cat Stevens in a 1972 single) and the Appalachian coal miners ballad The House of the Rising Sun (a hit for the British band the Animals in 1964), that belonged to no one and thus everyone. Why You Shouldn't Do It: Indian bridal jewelry, just like henna, is not something you can shove onto yourself out of context without expecting people to be confused and affronted. How many white people wearing cornrows (hello, Kim Kardashian and Katy Perry) know that, in 15th-Century Africa, hair was a way to distinguish a person's age, religion, social rank and marital . Still, what most people think of today as cultural appropriation is the opposite: a member of the dominant culture an insider taking from a culture that has historically been and is still . Cultural appropriation is considered taking a cultural element from a certain culture, where the jewelry is considered an important part of that culture. A helpful place to plan your wedding with other Wedditors! We have a term within the Black community: Christopher Columbus-ing. Its taking something from a marginalized group and renaming it to claim it as your own. "They have been a symbol of Black pride for centuries. It often indicates a user profile. Intan explains that wraps have helped her look inward and be reflective. There is fear, too, that the appropriated form of a culture may supplant the original and become the only version people outside that culture know. Over time, it has also become the national dress of Japan and is worn with accessories including zri sandals and tabi socks. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), When is it OK to wear an item from another culture, and when is it appropriation? Reaction was mixed when a Caucasian high school student wore a cheongsam to her senior prom. Privilege and erasure are at the heart of any discussion about appropriation. What They Really Mean: From Southeast Asia to the Middle East, North Africa, and more, communities all over the world wear turbans to signify their religious faith. Privilege is a touchy subject, because it puts the people who have it on the defensive. As Dodai Stewart wrote at the time for Jezebel, Cyrus can play at blackness without being burdened by the reality of it But blackness is not a piece of jewelry you can slip on when you want a confidence booster or a cool look.. (Indigenous peoples object to New Age rituals, the American anthropologist Michael F. Brown has written, not because they are bogus but precisely because they are, in some sense, real. In a piece for Mic, author Jamilah King states, The problem, of course, is that it's unclear whether the Mexican women who handed over their recipes ever got anything in return. It was just out there, like a wild horse or a tract of virgin land on an unconquered continent.. Scan this QR code to download the app now. It is generally believed that the significance of this accessory had, at the time, changed to symbolize male authority and power rather than female sexuality. Reply Jezebelle22 Additional comment actions Reducing an entire race to a single stereotype is, again, more than likely just blatant racism. "Head wraps [are] far more than a piece of fabric.". Ultimately, it all comes down to an individuals subjectivity and an understanding of the appreciation of the history associated with the pieces. Black people I know were like, No, these are cornrows or boxer braids! Also, I've noticed when I wear it (at home), it evokes a feeling of European peasantry (my ancestry on both sides of my family). There are super-simple ways to be sensitive without sacrificing style. Are you being respectful of that particular ethnic group and giving them credit for their cultural practices? It's time to stop judging women for wearing nail art, With great curly hair comes great responsibility this is how to embrace it, Feeling comfy in your own skin when you've grown up thinking it's the wrong colour, From yellowface to Crazy Rich: Asian Australians celebrate seeing themselves onscreen, complicated line between that and cultural appropriation. Remember that African people, like all other societies and cultures, are always happy to share parts of their culture and not really protective of it. This is another example of cherry picking parts of a culture, thus leaving them devoid of their original intention. The key takeaway is wearing a head wrap boils down to personal choice. For them, the New Age is a kind of doppelgnger, an evil imitation close enough to the real thing to upset the delicate balance of spiritual power maintained by Indian ritual specialists.) In an ever more connected world, there is the risk that culture becomes, as the Korean-born German philosopher Byung-Chul Han writes in Hyperculture (2022), cul-tour: a sightseeing circuit. Since Mariana Grande filed a $10 milliards lawsuit against Forever 21 for Monday, she has been hit with accusations of hypocrisy and cultural appropriation.. Cultural appropriation often is viewed as a problem of . Bucar says even people who are keenly aware of cultural . TikToks Things I Ate & Survived Trend Will Make You LOL, 45 Comfy, Cheap Outfits From Amazon That Look Actually Expensive, Genius Cleaning & Organizing Essentials You Need From Target, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. Do a little research into a garments cultural history before you wear it. Courtesy of the artist and Matthew Brown, Los Angeles, Titus Kaphar. Is it ever OK to wear a bindi or headdress? Cultural appropriation at music festivals like Coachella can be seen in decorative bindis, headdresses, henna, and other accessories deemed . Religious appropriation is what happens when someone who is explicitly an outsider from a religious community cherry picks aspects of a religion to use in their own lives. Stephanie Among its many pieces, it features a near replica of a brass Ife head (rendered by Hirst in gold) from a set of Yoruba sculptures that date back to the 14th or 15th century. Notably, champions of cultural appropriation tend to point triumphantly to hip-hop sampling as an exemplar never mentioning the white bands and performers who in the 50s and 60s made it big by co-opting rhythm and blues, while Black musicians still lived under segregation and, not unlike Solomon Linda, received dramatically less recognition and income than their white counterparts and sometimes had to give up credit and revenue just to get their music heard. "I've been wrapping my hair all my life. Wearing body chains, especially the waist beads, isn't a form of cultural appropriation but rather cultural appreciation. Talk about racist biases. Well find out about that and more in this article. Anyone can read what you share. "Don't be afraid to try different styles out and find something you'll be comfortable wearing.". What They Really Mean: In Japanese, kimono translates to thing to wear and it refers to the countrys traditional garment that has been around for hundreds of years. However, cultural appropriation isnt necessarily limited to people in the public eye. Readmore topics hereorhere! Some have likened using chopsticks as a hair accessory to putting a fork in your updo. At worst, you'll look insulting. Im not saying pull out a book and read a whole history of boxer braids or the kimono. Lets look specifically at Native American headdresses as a trendy accessory. In addition to reducing Native American cultures, of which there are hundreds, to a single stereotype, this is removing all context for why headdresses are significant. Think about whether someone else would encounter bias if she wore the style youre considering. Are we as individuals allowed to wear only the native styles of our ancestors? Bucar says cultural borrowing is "sometimes just the way that religions interact or religion works.". This is not about a white person wearing a cheongsam to prom or a sombrero to a frat party or boasting about the strange, exotic, foreign foods theyve tried, any of which has the potential to come across as derisive or misrepresentative or to annoy someone from the originating culture although refusal to interact with or appreciate other cultures would be a greater cause for offense but which are generally irrelevant to larger issues of capital and power. There are plenty of other ways to make a style statement. The short answer is no. Cuisine often exemplifies cultural exchange as its best. Best to rethink this Halloween costume if it isn't actually your culture. (And thats pretty much all of us, since we all benefit from one form of privilege or another.) It has spanned across many cultures and races, making it widely acceptable for all people groups. Anon is on for you. On the fashion front, what is someone who loves lots of different cultures to do? But what about other cultural artifacts? Privacy Policy. No one is going to fire her or Miley, or kick them out of school for wearing these hairstyles. I sometimes post things I do not personally agree with, but I believe Like the bangle, the saree and textile weaving culture have been mentioned from the days of the Indus civilization. There is a contentious and confusing history with food and cultural appropriation. As the Malaysian American artist Shing Yin Khor writes in their 2014 comic Just Eat It, Eat, but recognize that weve been eating, too, and what is our sustenance isnt your adventure story., The harm in appropriation comes when a culture is shrunk in possibility, reduced to a set of disembodied gestures style without substance, which can verge on blasphemy, as when a non-Indigenous person speaks of having a spirit animal. And my great-grandmother.". But when you wear another groups cultural signifiers head to toe, it can create the impression that you see them as a costume. "And it's helped me become confident in the things I liked for myself, not what others liked for me.". "As a Black Caribbean they're intrinsically linked to [my] culture and history. But this is not always the case, especially with body jewelry traditionally referred to as any kind of adornment that was placed through and was attached to a specific body part. Of course, we are all free to do as we wish as my friends might say, Whos gonna check me, boo? But I personally wouldnt wear a hijab to a bar or a bindi with a bikini. Conversations about cultural appropriation become the clearest around Halloween. For more information, please see our But as non-Black and -brown celebrities, they have the privilege to wear the looks associated with another persons culture when that person cant necessarily wear looks from her own culture without suffering some type of fallout. The Western world should stop making assumptions that Muslim women arent empowered if they wear a hijab, and they certainly shouldnt appropriate it as a passing trend. RT @KimComstock5: Got a question for my friends. "How to do a head wrap?" (English lyrics were added in 1961 by the American songwriters George David Weiss, Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore.) I usually style them either as a regular hijab or a head wrap/turban depending on my mood and weather.". Cultural appropriation is complicated, which is all the more reason we need to be talking about it. Yasmin uses square scarves in silk and chiffon, which are often in block colour pastels or vibrant patterns. Yes, you could wear the waist beads even if you are not African or Indian. But, as Khan clarifies, Privilege isnt about what youve gone through; its about what you havent had to go through., This much I know: In order to work through these issues, we have to hear one another, to see one anothers humanity, to acknowledge one anothers hurt. No? 26 Apr 2023 11:12:58 As an example, Pham examines the American designer Marc Jacobss spring 2017 fashion show, mounted in the fall of 2016, in which primarily white models were sent down the runway in dreadlocks, a hairstyle historically documented among peoples in Africa, the Americas and Asia, as well as in ancient Greece but, for nearly 70 years, considered almost exclusively a marker of Black culture a symbol of nonconformity and, as a practice in Rastafarianism, evoking a lions mane and spirit often to the detriment of Black people who have chosen to embrace that style, including a number who have lost jobs because of it. The problem is the system that limits who gets to do the imagining. Even the nose ring, or nath, has cultural associations, depending on where in India it is being worn. The cloth headwear is mandated among male and female Sikhs, a religion that originated in the Punjab region of India. ': Black women reject racism and embrace their natural hair, The global fashion trend that's just starting to take off in Australia, My braided hair is more than a fashion choice it's sending a message. "I generally prefer lighter materials. Their intent may very well have been homage. If the answer gives you pause, rethink whether your fashion statement is worth it. Beyonc in a clich-ridden Coldplay video) is different than appreciation (wearing a traditional sari at your South Asian friend's wedding at their request). And as per historical records, the waist chains were used and largely worn in India by men and women. I was fascinated to learn how the garment has evolved over millennia, and how even today in Japan, there are strict rules about how a kimono has to be tied and folded. Body chains and beads are worn by many people from different tribe and culture and continent as as such it is not appropriated by any people but rather appreciated and borrowed into the fashion world. This article was originally published on Oct. 28, 2015, Zendaya Wore A Vintage Bustier Dress From The Versace Vault, Florence Pugh Put Her Own Chic Twist On The No-Pants Trend, Heres Everything You Need To Know About The 2023 Met Gala, The Most Stunning Plus-Size Looks In Met Gala History, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Weeks after I shaved my head, I had made it to the inevitable awkward stages of hair growth: the fuzz that doesn't brush. And as accusations of improper borrowing increase, what is at stake when boundaries of collective identity are crossed? By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. If you dont understand cultural appropriation, imagine working on a project and getting an F and then somebody copies you and gets an A and credit for your work. For hundreds of years, the West learned of other cultures through the reports of its own emissaries, and the market for exotic goods still presupposes that there is comfort, for many, in having a white person translate another culture to make it less threatening, or to play up its supposed strangeness for a thrill. I read a quote on Instagram (posted by New York City hairstylist Tenisha F. Sweet) that said, If you dont understand cultural appropriation, imagine working on a project and getting an F and then somebody copies you and gets an A and credit for your work.. Since then, they've been part of African culture for centuries, and have spread all over the world. At night she ties her hair with a silk scarf that sits at the top of her head. Why You Shouldnt Wear It: Like the hijab, its clear theres a double standard tied to burqas and niqabs that you shouldnt perpetuate. Dr. Chong defines cultural appropriation as, "The adoption, often unacknowledged or inappropriate, of the ideas, practices, customs, and cultural identity markers of one society or group by members of another group or society that typically has greater privilege or power." For example, dressing up as a person with a disability that you do not have, or wearing a sombrero as part of a "Mexican" costume. So, whether appreciated or appropriated culturally, the body chains and waist beads are an important part of culture today. It often indicates a user profile. Photo by Rob McKeever. When I ask her what it means to wear a head wrap, she says it's supposed to embody modesty and serve as a reminder to be conscious of how she carries herself and how to interact with others. But a Middle Eastern or Indian or other minority woman wearing the same turban in the US has to worry if someone is going to think shes a terrorist or a palm reader or whatever other stereotypes are associated with wearing a turban. Its important to note that her hair, makeup and accessories were tasteful and subdued. Cookie Notice Since head chains have an origin and meaning behind them, you do not want your choice of head jewelry offending someone else unless you are honoring the culture and not making fun of it. The things I reference are a part of my life, an archive of my experiences, he tells T. My work highlights the culture, landscape and craft that have always been around. Above: Say No More Fam (2022). By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Mix in other elements as well. A New York Times survey of English-language books published by major houses between 1950 and 2018 showed that 95 percent were written by white authors, and even in the last year of the study, the number was 89 percent startlingly high, considering that as of 2020 the American population was only 57.8 percent white, per the census taken that year. We like what you do. But what might the rest of us lose? Dr. Kelly H. Chong, professor and chairperson in the department of sociology at the University of Kansas, spoke to Bustle over email about what cultural appropriation is and the consequences it can have. They're situated between the brows at the site of the Third Eye, and function as a spiritual reminder for Hindus of their faith and duties at times when they aren't at prayer. And yet this fundamentalism, he suggests, has an eerie solidarity with its seeming opposite, pluralism, the ever-growing flowering of groups and subgroups in their hybrid and fluid, shifting identities, each insisting on the right to assert its specific way of life and/or culture to draw a line; to protect itself. Some argue that cultural appropriation is good that its just another name for borrowing or taking inspiration from other cultures, which has happened throughout history and without which civilization would wither and die. When she goes out, she thinks twice: Maybe I should show a bit of my hair or wear more makeup so I seem less threatening? These are the second thoughts that some people have to consider when theyre trying to display their own culture. The choices are abysmal. Log in. An imbalance of power between the appropriator and the appropriated is a critical condition of the concept. First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we "It also empowered me as a woman due to the non-conformity of society that the headscarf allowed me to exercise, not that it's the only way to do it. At the end of the day, the waist beads make the most stunning kind of jewelry, and in addition to there being no laws that stop you from wearing them, they look great on pretty much everyone! Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian, Titus Kaphar. The waist bead/ chain is more than a cultural thing, and you can wear it for different reasons, including non-scale weight monitoring, enhancing your sensuality, and just for aesthetics. Or, as the Washington Posts Clinton Yates explained, its showing up someplace and acting as if history started the moment you arrived., When Kim Kardashian wore cornrows or Fulani braids a hairstyle with deep roots in the Black community but called them Bo Derek braids (a reference to the blond-and-blue-eyed movie star who wore them in the 1979 movie 10), she was met with outrage. It is sometimes considered cultural appropriation to use a Mandala if it's to be trendy and fashionable while you have no direct understanding of (or connection to) Buddhist culture. circus, merchandising | 862 views, 32 likes, 6 loves, 153 comments, 4 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Cafe Locked Out: The No Goat Show. Posted on . I've been shopping online for more head scarves for when my hair falls out. They are not always considered cultural appropriation, although can be in some instances. As Rachel Kuo writes for Everyday Feminism, when people think culture can seemingly be understood with a bite of food, thats where it gets problematic., Music and cultural appropriation go way, way back. NONE OF THIS means that artists shouldnt take inspiration from other cultures. And what happens when members of nondominant groups borrow from each other: Does it become a competition to see who has less cultural capital and is thus permitted to do such a thing, as in 2017 when the Black basketball player Kenyon Martin called out the Chinese American basketball player Jeremy Lin for wearing his hair in dreadlocks, to which Lin responded by pointing out Martins Chinese tattoos? Because Hirsts version of the Ife head will be seen by more people, the narrative will shift, Ehikhamenor wrote, and the young Ife or Nigerian contemporary artist will someday be told by a long nose critic, Your work reminds me of Damien Hirsts Golden Head.. As the South African journalist Rian Malan chronicled in a 2000 feature for Rolling Stone, Linda and his group, the Evening Birds, were on the third take of a song that had more sounds than words, with the five backup voices split in harmony but one in rhythm, steady and inexorable, and Lindas high, clean falsetto soaring above, until he uttered into being the musical phrase that would soon make its way to every corner of the world, albeit with lyrics he never wrote: In the jungle, the quiet jungle, the lion sleeps tonight., Pressed onto a 78 r.p.m. In addition to this, astrology also has associations with the body chains featured as part of the Roman and Greek art associated with the planet/star Venus, and subsequently, the goddess of love. entertainment, news presenter | 4.8K views, 28 likes, 13 loves, 80 comments, 2 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from GBN Grenada Broadcasting Network: GBN News 28th April 2023 Anchor: Kenroy Baptiste.
is wearing a head chain cultural appropriation