Cultural Appreciation vs. Cultural Appropriation

“Culture refers to anything associated with a group of people based on their ethnicity, religion, geography, or social environment. This might include beliefs, traditions, language, objects, ideas, behaviors, customs, values, or institutions”

While each culture should be celebrated to its fullest, learn to watch out for when culture appreciation starts to become culture appropriation. 

Appreciation vs. Appropriation

Respectfully borrowing elements with understanding and acknowledgement of the culture is a form of culture appreciation.  Appreciation can occur in more than one way.  Learning more about a culture, taking the time to listen, read, watch, and enjoy what other cultures bring to the table are all forms of appreciation. However, unacknowledged or inappropriate use of elements from other (typically non-dominant) cultures is appropriation.  Culture may be appropriated through varied ways including: cultural exchange, cultural dominance , cultural exploitation, and transculturation.

A further understanding on cultural appropriation: 

When elements of a subordinated culture are used with lack of  substantive reciprocity, permission, compensation, understanding, or appreciation, cultural exchange has occurred.  Cultural exchange mostly occurs hand in hand with cultural exploitation where subordinate cultures are exploited for benefit to the exploiter.   Not only is taking other aspects of culture as your own be appropriation, but so is cultural dominance, or the reinforcing of cultural aspects that don't belong to a group onto them.   All of these and more forms of cultural appropriation leads to transculturation, a development of cultural hybrids

Appreciation 

The appreciation of culture allows for people to interact in a way that’s respectful, polite, and educated.   Appreciating culture is the key to being more accepting of others and their way of life.  Culture can be appreciated even in the little ways like sharing a post or article you’ve read recently, buying a product from a small business, listening to others stories, and more.

Appropriation 

While culture appreciation comes from a place of respect, cultural appropriation tends to exploit the culture being appropriated. It is often offensive towards the culture when one does not understand or recognize the significance of the element they are appropriating.   As people inaccurately adopt or portray the culture of others, the true understanding or insight of a culture is prevented.  Often, culture appropriation can bring about racial stereotypes to a group and reduce their cultural significance. Furthermore, when the dominant group is credited for aspects of a culture they have appropriated, non-dominant cultures are oppressed. 

Examples of Cultural Appropriation

The most common form of culture appropriation are situations involving the attempt to appear or look like another culture.  Black-facing is the act of presenting a caricatured version of African-Americans dark colored skin by non African-Americans.  Black-facing brings up painful histories of enslavement while the ultimate purpose of it is to demean African Americans.  This mockery was seen commedical or entertaining by white viewers.   Taking and using significant/symbolic items of smaller cultures as an accessory or add-on simply because it “looks nice” is a major problem that is a part of culture appropriation.  Doing this strips away the importance of the culture being appropriated.  Sacred or religious symbols, cornrows, bindis or headdresses have all fallen victim to this aspect of appropriation.  Appropriation can occur to anything, from the food all the way to living habits in a culture. 

Identifying Cultural Appropriation

 Not all things borrowed from other cultures are appropriated.  However, if the adaptation is not accurate and lacks understanding of the culture being borrowed from, it could be a sign of cultural Appropriation.  When appreciating culture, always give credit back to the culture being appreciated to avoid accidental appropriation.  Before giving a verdict on whether or not something is cultural appropriation, also ask “What was the intention?” first.  

CONTROVERSIAL INSTANCES OF CULTURE APPROPRIATION?

• Example #1: Ariana Grande

  • Famous singer Ariana Grande has recently been accused of asian-fishing, after a released photoshoot of her in an oversized jacket and bow.  Many believe that she has purposefully copied Eastern Asian features such as straighter eyebrows, monolids, fairer skin etc. The flames are fanned when Oli London comes out to compliment her by exaggerating how “cute and oriental” her appearance is.  However, many of her fans argue that this Asian-fishing is not the case, claiming that assuming her eyes look more “asian” was racist itself.  Previously, Ariana has also been considered to be Black-fishing too, especially after her appearance in songs like “7 rings” as she was using AAVE (African-American Vernacular English) in her everyday speech, as well as in heavily darkened skin courtesy of self-tanner.

    Example #2: Oli London

  • Oli London is a popular white British singer and influencer, however has recently come under fire for their recent “transition” to resemble Jimin, a member of popular K-Pop band BTS. London has described the procedures they had undergone a total of 18 times (costing over $240,000 USD) as a “racial transitional surgery”, and that they now “identify as Korean”, even sharing controversial posts like this:

  • As well as this, London has sparked controversy over this newfound “transracial” identification of Korean, as it is a prime example of fetishization, as they continued pushing toward the stereotype of superiority of Asian men, being viewed as exotic, or in London’s eyes “the ideal man”.