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There probably isn’t a more hackneyed phrase than “Cultural Appropriation.”
Yet, with all of its dryness, it is still so heavily debated on social media and in the entertainment world. It has been the subject of many celebrity Halloween/music video/Coachella costumes gone awry. What women and men wear is a form of self-expression, and we value our freedom to embrace new styles or trends. Thus, it’s natural to get defensive when this freedom is questioned or critiqued.
But the problem isn’t just the act of cultural appropriation, it is the discourse, because it fails to address and educate people about what it means to misappropriate another culture. When this topic is discussed in the digital space, ad hominem attacks are too often the go-to form of argumentation, and this creates a smokescreen for a legitimate conversation.
I am an Indian American woman from a Hindu family, so it is often customary that I wear a bindi to rituals, festivals or cultural programs. When I left dance practices, I would often remove my bindi once I was in public. In fact, I stayed in the car while my mother went grocery shopping because I didn’t want to run into kids from school. I didn’t want them to see me in my churidar and vermillion stained bindi, so I just avoided the embarrassment.
I never once questioned this behavior until I saw the way the bindi took on a new kind of fandom. I’ll be honest: When I see Kylie Jenner or Selena Gomez, or some random girl at Coachella wear a bindi, I don’t get angry. I don’t think she is malicious, racist or trying to be disrespectful. She saw something pretty and said “I want to wear that!” She can wear it with the ease and lack of restraint that I wish I had at 15 years old. She can be willfully ignorant about its origins or its significance, and she will never have to feel embarrassed by it. It has been deemed beautiful and “bohemian chic” on her, but on an Indian girl, it is the subject of mockery and a mark of her otherness.
What should be understood about cultural appropriation is the inherent double standard. As human beings we desire a sense of fairness, and it is for this reason that many individuals, especially from minority cultures feel a sense of injustice when their group identity is trivialized.
I understand that culture isn’t monolithic or untouched. Cultural exchanges and interactions between different populations have occurred since ancient times. The subcultures we exist in today have been influenced by the influx of different ethnic groups that have influenced the food, language, dance and other aspects of culture. But, one cannot discuss cultural diffusion without acknowledging power and dominant culture.
Bindis, cornrows, and Native American headdresses are beautiful, but who are they considered beautiful on? When are they considered mainstream? According to Giuliana Rancic, Zendaya’s dreads during the Oscar’s were too “overwhelming,” and probably smells of “patchouli oil” or “weed,” but Kylie Jenner’s dreads were “edgy.” I can put my hair in cornrows and it may be labeled “high fashion” on me, but in the end I don’t deal with the negative associations with African hair. My natural hair is conventional and appropriate. I don’t need to change it for a job nor do I feel pressured to conform to societal beauty standards. What it comes down to: I can remove the hair and remove all attachment to blackness that comes with actually having that hair.
It’s easy for an artist to take a mish mash of Hindu deities and call that an appreciation of Indian culture, but it’s an artistic venture to convey what the cultural symbols actually mean. A poorly constructed homage doesn’t make an artist racist, but in the end, they chose not to understand the culture they were trying to represent. It’s easy to wear the soft parts of a culture for profit, but what’s not easy is carrying the baggage that comes along with being a member of that culture.
I’m not saying appreciating the beauty in bindis, Native American regalia or African-American hairstyles is wrong. It isn’t wrong to want to try new hairstyles or trends, but when these styles were once suppressed, mocked and ridiculed on other peoples—understand that you benefit from a double standard. Sure, it’s easier to wear symbols on your body, but true cultural appreciation comes with attempting to understand the significance of what you are wearing.
