Cultural Appropriation

In today’s world, the term “Cultural Appropriation” is used in pop culture, art, and even sports. But what exactly does the word appropriation mean? What differentiates it from cultural appreciation? Oxford Dictionaries, which only put the phrase into its official lexicon in 2017, defines cultural appropriation as “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.”EverydayFeminism.com states, that’s not the whole story. Unlike cultural exchange, in which there is a mutual interchange, appropriation refers to a “particular power dynamic in which members of a dominant culture take elements from a culture of people who have been systematically oppressed by that dominant group”. Culture appreciation, on the other hand, is educating yourself about a culture that isn’t your own, this can be considered an appropriation when you try to take this culture for yourself. 

By the official definition of cultural appropriation, it seems it would be nearly impossible to avoid doing it in your everyday life, from the way you make coffee to the way you decorate your room.  An area where the term is often brought up is in restaurants and food. Unfortunately, not even something as nourishing and celebratory as food is free from racism and cultural appropriation. Some people would consider having a restaurant with a white front of the house and black dishwashers or cooks a form of racism. Many would consider White chefs selling burritos, benefiting through financial and social capital, without any benefit to the culture where the food was created is an example of cultural appropriation. Food industries that lack basic knowledge of racism and culture cause more harm than they realize.

Even celebrities are not immune to accusations of cultural appropriation, Kim Kardashian has gotten criticism for styling her hair in cornrows (a traditional African American hairstyle). According to GD.com, “Kardashian West responded to the controversy over her referring to her blonde braids [as]Bo Derek braids.” The celebrity status, “I know the origin of where they came from and I’m totally respectful of that”. She continues to add, “I’m not tone deaf…I do get it.” It’s unclear how the media has responded to Kim’s statement. Countless other celebrities have been accused of blatant cultural appropriation including Rihanna, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Zac Efron, and so many more. Even the NFL’s Washington Redskins have been accused of cultural appropriation with their use of an American Indian mascot dressed in cultural attire.

How can we all avoid cultural appropriation? Although there is no way to avoid it completely, here’s what you can do. Once you’ve researched a culture, do you have permission to use it freely? Not exactly. While good intentions help, they don’t automatically take away from the negatives of cultural appropriation. Before you “borrow” from a culture, ask yourself a few questions, “Is what I’m doing the result of a stereotype?” or “Am I using something sacred to another culture in a disrespectful way?”. Like the native American headdress situation,  which is a religious symbol. Finally, ask yourself if you are engaging in an ancient culture that isn’t your own while still giving valuable credit to the culture it belongs to.  If you can safely answer “no” to those questions, you will probably be able to avoid cultural appropriation. Still, proceed with caution.