WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?
"I'm confused. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and if the imitation is done in a respectful way (not to poke fun of a culture, although admittedly - and sadly - this does happen), I'm not sure that I understand why it "marginalizes" a culture to wear a bindi. Or a headdress. Or a kilt. Granted, I don't KNOW everything about every culture, but I also respect other cultures and try to reach out to all people. It seems to me that this is a very divisive article. The author seems to want to blend into western culture without really making an effort to blend in, and seems to want everyone to acknowledge her differences without really acknowledging them, or noticing that she is different - sort of like not mentioning the elephant in the room. I'm not sure you can have it both ways. It seems to me that the celebrities pictured are wearing bindi because they think the bindi are beautiful, and they want to feel beautiful while wearing them. I'm sorry, but I don't understand why this bothers the author so much." ~Shelia Cox in response to Not your ‘Fashion Dots’: The Continuous Appropriation of Bindis
WHY IT MATTERS
Cultural appropriation perpetuates the white supremacist ideology that all that is good must derive from American Anglo-Western culture, whether it is true or not. It matters because the tendency to appropriate is grounded in an assumption that the past does not impact the present and that the United States is an equitable, “multicultural” setting where everyone’s culture and existence is equally valued. It matters because by exotifying women of color and perpetuating racial stereotypes you further marginalize historically ostracized groups. Cultural appropriation ignores the historical brutality that people of color suffered for not forsaking their cultural identity and heritage, and it is a slap in the face for people of the dominate culture to wear and exercise aspects of another culture as a trend. Americans cannot hold strong to xenophobic ideologies and assert Anglo-Western values on people of color in one hand, and steal and co-opt that same culture in another. Americans cannot have whiteness as the standard for womanhood, demonize women of color that deviate from the Anglo-Western culture then only accept and celebrate non-Anglo-Western standards of beauty when they are embodied by white women. That is the BIG deal, and that why is it matters.
CHECK YOUR PRIVILEGE
“A Japanese teen wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the logo of a big American company is not the same as Madonna sporting a bindi as part of her latest reinvention. The difference is history and power. Colonization has made Western Anglo culture supreme–powerful and coveted. It is understood in its diversity and nuance as other cultures can only hope to be. Ignorance of culture that is a burden to Asians, African and indigenous peoples, is unknown to most European descendants or at least lacks the same negative impact .It matters who is doing the appropriating. If a dominant culture fancies some random element (a mode of dress, a manner of speaking, a style of music) of my culture interesting or exotic, but otherwise disdains my being and seeks to marginalize me, it is surely an insult.” -Tamara Winfrey Harris
Sources
Bhuiyan , Raisa. Not your ‘Fashion Dots’: The Continuous Appropriation of Bindis. Shamelessmag.com. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2014. http://shamelessmag.com/blog/entry/not-your-fashion-dots-the-continuous-appropriatio/
Stewart, Dodai. On Miley Cyrus, Ratchet Culture and Accessorizing With Black People. jezebel.com. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2014. http://jezebel.com/on-miley-cyrus-ratchet-culture-and-accessorizing-with-514381016
Header photo: http://blog.jordannamatlon.com/post/89257559413/whats-the-big-deal
Stewart, Dodai. On Miley Cyrus, Ratchet Culture and Accessorizing With Black People. jezebel.com. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2014. http://jezebel.com/on-miley-cyrus-ratchet-culture-and-accessorizing-with-514381016
Header photo: http://blog.jordannamatlon.com/post/89257559413/whats-the-big-deal