Cultural Appropriation vs. Appreciation: Where lies the boundary?

With our current world state of globalisation and inter-connectedness, we have witnessed how previously isolated cultures have merged with others to create a plethora of new and unusual artistic and cultural combinations, from Japanese Hip-Hop to Brazilian Punk Rock and so forth. Yet, as we are now able to ‘Pick’N’Mix’ different cultural traditions and include them to our own, a new debate has started to emerge, especially within global pop culture, around where the boundary lies between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation. A notable example of this debate has often surrounded the use of Black cultural or fashion iconography by white musicians or pop stars and how the use of these ‘trends’ is interpreted differently depending on those that are wearing them. For example, when mixed-race Disney-actress rocked up to the 2015 Oscars with beautifully styled dreadlocks, she was criticised by Fashion Police presenter Giuliana Ransic as “(looking) like she smells like patchouli oil. Or weed.”. Yet, when the same Giuliana Ransic was asked to responding to provocative Pop Singer Miley Cyrus’ “new style” (which includes dreadlocks, nudity, twerking, and the constant use of black back-ground dancers in her video), she defended the 23-year old singer’s transformation by saying “I get when, it’s such a personal choice to dress a certain way or to cut your hair a certain way, or do your makeup a certain way, that that’s what she’s feeling right now, and that’s cool. I’m cool with it”. This pattern, where a ‘trend’ that’s culturally and historically Black receives criticism when used by a black person yet gets praised as fashionably adventurous when used by whites, has become a central aspect of the way cultural appropriation is understood and debated within the global-pop spectrum. Whilst some argue that the use of certain cultural traditions by those that are not their proponents is a form of appreciation and admiration for that culture, others have argued for the exploitative and structurally unjust application of cultural standards throughout society. In this short article, I’d look to explore further the sometimes ambiguous division of cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation.

The concept of ‘culture’ itself is one that is often understood and interpreted in a range of perspectives and definitions. For many and for a long time, culture was defined as a static phenomenon; a set of rituals, traditions, customs and social behaviours that belong solely and unalterably to one group of people bounded by belief or territory. Yet, as our world has become increasingly connected and migrations flows across the world have intensified, we have begun to reach a new definition of ‘culture’ that is not static and fixed but rather dynamic and constantly changing and evolving. In fact, culture is not singular and unchanging but rather a complexly layered concept that is open to the changes and multiplicity that occur with a globalised world. It is clear, especially in pop culture and music, that artists can now take from and bring together a variety of different cultural inspirations to create something new to them and that styles and genres are no longer limited to one social group, as can be seen with the white commercialisation of the HipHop and Rap industries. Yet, cultural appropriation is not about just about a people using aspects of a culture that’s not originally theirs to create something new or theirs, if anything this is almost a natural occurrence of cultural dynamism and has given way to a number of talented artistic endeavours. Rather, cultural appropriation is more about the theft or exploitation of icons, rituals, aesthetics, and behaviour of one (often minority) culture or subculture by another (often the subordinating majority), usually without the acknowledgment or understanding of why the original culture took part in these activities or meanings and converting them into “pop-culture trends” or rendering them void of their originally nuanced meaning. One of the most obvious and debated incidents surrounding cultural appropriation was when Kylie Jenner (but really overall the whole Kardashian family) posted an Instagram photo featuring her wearing cornrows, a picture which got a fiery response from Hunger Games actress Amanda Steinberg on Twitter. Amanda’s comments, although often misinterpreted, were not an attack on Jenner’s choice of hairstyles but rather about the structural choice to choose only the ‘trendiest’ or ‘easiest’ aspects of African-American culture whilst ignoring the underlying inequalities; she tweeted “When u appropriate black features and culture but fail to use ur position of power to help black Americans by directing attention towards ur wigs instead of police brutality or racism #whitegirlsdoitbetter”. In fact, what I believe Steinberg is attempting to say, is that cultural appropriation - unlike cultural appreciation - is deeply rooted in a structural ideal of privilege. Cultural appropriation, after all, is really about power. As AfroPunk contributor KiNG asks in an open letter to Kylie, “Ain’t it fun to wear everything black except for the skin?”. Unlike the African-American woman who is often refused a job or opportunity due to the appearance or kink of her hair, the point that Steinberg or KiNG are making is that due to her privilege, Kylie’s choice of cornrows is nothing but a new ‘style’ or ‘trend’ devoid of historical meaning or social implications. Hairstyle choice might after-all seem like a minor example to draw upon which to draw, but its all exemplary of a larger trend in which something is considered negative, aggressive, or ‘bad’ when used by the culture from which it comes from but positive, ‘trendy’ or cool when used by the privileged. I’d like to point out that acts of cultural appropriation are not only those committed against blacks in the US, but have affected almost every minority race, community, or belief system in the world. In the early 2000s, Gwen Stefani was often accused of cultural appropriation for using a constant group of inter-changeable ‘Harujuku girls’ in her videos and aesthetic. In 2012, Victoria’s Secret had to apologise for dressing model Karlie Kloss with a Native American headdress in one of their lingerie fashion shows. In 2013, female rapper Iggy Azalea - whose often been criticised for using a faked Southern US accent in her raps despite being Australian with a clear accent when she speaks - sparked controversy by setting her music video for ‘Bounce’ in ‘Bollywood-styled’ India. Pop-star Katy Perry also received problematic remarks for using overtly stereotyped Egyptian and Asian aesthetics in her videos despite the music having little contextual background on the cultures presented. The examples in pop culture are almost endless and serve only to perpetuate close-minded stereotypes on the cultures depicted, whilst simultaneously devoiding these cultural icons as devoid of historical and purposeful meaning.

Above: Collage of contemporary examples of Cultural Appropriation (including Iggy Azalea in 'Bounce', Katy Perry as an Egyptian, Victoria Secret models in Native American headdress, and Gwen Stefani with her 'Harujuku Girls')

Despite its increasingly obvious representation in contemporary global pop culture, Cultural Appropriation is not at all a new phenomenon. In fact, the history of cultural appropriation is initimately tied to the history of Imperialism and Capitalism. Ever since the time in which the majority of the world was colonised by Europeans, the objects and traditions of the marginalised cultures under colonial rule were seen by the dominant culture as exciting, exotic, and desirable commodities, unlike the people to whom those objects and traditions belonged to. After all, in a capitalist society, cultural appropriation is nothing else but the exploitation of resources by one culture from the other, whether those resources be physical ones like land, artefacts, or material goods or even if those resources are iconographic, traditional cultural elements. Cultural appropriation, as has been exemplified by the numerous examples of it in pop culture, is after all really about profit and gain (but also oppression and pain). Again, the boundary here between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation can often be difficult to easily identify. The important factor to remember here is context and the transmission of perspective and knowledge. There is a difference between using and portraying a specific cultural tradition in the educational and almost anthropological aim of learning more about the intricacies of a certain social group and a depiction of that same cultural tradition that is devoid of all original meanings and understanding. When Iggy Azalea dances with a Sari on an elephant to a (probably auto-tuned) House/Club Pop hit singing "Shake it, break it, make it bounce", she isn't making an attempt to understand, reinterpret, or explain the deeply-rooted historical meaning of these elements of Indian culture, rather she is simply picking a 'trendy' background (which could have been any really) as if culture was nothing but an interchangeable theme at a dinner party. When Kylie Jenner (or again any of the Kardashians) alters her natural features to achieve those aesthetic features that for ages have been considered representative but negative on women of color, she isn't using her multi-million follower platform to educate and inform people on why 'Black is Beautiful' or the socio-historical barriers placed on black women due to their hair that should be forgotten, she is simply choosing a new trend that might be a profitable 'look' for her Instagram page. There is nothing wrong with admiring, appreciating, and seeking to learn more and understand a culture that is not originally ours; why should it be wrong that a white person identifies closely with HipHop subculture or that a black person must imperatively also like HipHop to fit in to his own stereotype? If anything, it is crucially important that we move on from creating boxes and categories and expecting everyone to fit so neatly within the confined boundaries of one. But cultural appropriation is not the act of moving beyond social boundaries and stereotypes; if anything, cultural appropriation only reiterates those stereotypes and denies social group the historical background and importance of their traditions. Whilst the boundary may often be blurry between the two, understanding and acknowledging the privilege and power that distinguishes cultural appropriation to appreciation is crucial to creating a globalised society and culture that understands each other without mimicking minorities.

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