Cultural Appropriation
- MaddiW
- Oct 22, 2018
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 13, 2018
When I first decide to do this project, my first idea was to try and take part in some of the rituals that people of the certain religion does to see if my experience would be different then what I initially thought when I first researched the religion. Thinking about this brought up the popular problem that has been present in modern day media: Cultural Appropriation. I realized that before I do anything, I need to check myself and make sure that what I do isn't offensive to anyone because the point if this is to do the complete opposite.
I've heard a lot of things about cultural appropriation before because of media and things like that but I didn't really understand what Cultural Appropriation really was. After some research I've figure out that a lot of things I've grown up around is considered Cultural Appropriation. Cultural Appropriation is when a person, usually from a majority group, takes an element from someone else's culture and uses it for other uses. This includes using the element for fashion, entertainment, or even learning purposes.
Cultural Appropriation has been a big topic for the last 3 or more years in America, but the truth is that cultural appropriation has been happening for a lot long. For as long as I've remembered, I thought it was okay for people to wear Asian-style clothing or to have African-Inspired look. I thought it would be okay for people to wear something that is considered traditional in a culture as long as they knew what it represents and what it means, it's okay but it's a lot more then that. Things that many Americans want to think is culturally appropriate between are not and I think it's simply because a lot of people don't know.
From my research I found a couple major things that's important to know about cultural appropriation. I kind of think of them like rules, and there is only one important one. Do not participate in cultural rituals without permission. Many of the elements in cultures are interesting to think about and I understand the curiosity of wanting to experience it or wanting to wear something a culture wears but you can't do it without permission from someone of that culture. If someone of that culture invites you to participate in a ritual or to wear a traditional piece of clothing, then it's totally okay. That's a person from that community inviting you to participate into that culture. But doing it by yourself isn't okay. If you do it without permission and for no reason, it can be seen as nothing more than a fad and it's very offensive to the people who are apart of that culture and what the believe in.
Using a cultures' elements as fashion or as a 'learning experiment' is not okay and is something Americans do a lot. A culture isn't fashion and isn't meant to be use as it. There are certain reason that a culture has certain elements and those reasons should be respected. Bindis, for example, aren't supposed to be uses as something pretty to put on your head, they are to honor their gods, so we should respect the culture and the people a part of it and not try to use it as our next fashion trend. We also shouldn't try and use elements of a culture for "learning experiments". It might be in the name of education but it's still very disrespectful to preform religious rituals without being invited to do so. If you really want to experience another culture, I suggest you find a friend who could tell you about the culture, or to take a trip and experience it yourself.
Believe me, I have made many mistakes and would probably be accused of cultural appropriation for the things that I have done and it's simply because I didn't realize what I was doing is was wrong. Honest mistakes are made all the time so you shouldn't beat yourself up over it. Just remember to be cautious when you want to wear something that's "African- Inspired" or has a "Cool Jamaican Vibe".
If you want to read more about the topic, there are some really good articles below:
Until Next Time!
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