Cultural Appropriation

By Imani Johnson - January 30, 2016

Cultural appropriation: is the adoption or use of elements of one culture by members of a different culture.

Lately in the news, there has been a lot of accusations of celebrities committing this crime of cultural appropriation. Like Beyonce posing as a Bollywood actress in Coldplay's music video, or a photoshoot with Pharrell wearing the Native American headdress, or way back in the early 2000's when Gwen Stefani wore bindis. People are asking the question whether or not these celebrities should be borrowing from another culture since they are stripping away the deep meaning behind these items and making it popular. The members of these cultures are outraged at the fact that they are the creators of these items yet don't get any credit for it.

Although, I completely understand where these different cultures are coming from I don't really find cultural appropriation a big deal. Through the internet we are becoming a global community, meaning that we have access to any culture at any given time just by looking it up or on the news or even on Instagram, we can see how different cultures live. And I don't find anything wrong with being inspired by a culture and wanting to emulate aspects of it, given you have done all the research and know the meanings behind the items and don't claim it as something you have created.

I truly do not find it offensive if a white person wants to wear corn rows or dreads or bantu knots or box braids as long as they are not claiming it as something that they created. Beyonce in Coldplay's Hymn For The Weekend music video according to the definition of cultural appropriation is technically appropriating the Indian culture but, if you watch the music video all the way through Coldplay was inspired by the Indian culture and did their research of it, they were not trying to steal it as their own idea, they were embracing it. I think that Beyonce was just dressed up as a Bollywood actress to match the aesthetic of the video since she wasn't actually in India with Coldplay.

If I were to be completely honest she was irrelevant to the music video and song anyway, Coldplay could have done without her. But, that has nothing to do with cultural appropriation.

What are your views on cultural appropriation?