I read a couple of interesting articles today on whether or not it's okay to take meaningful cultural symbols and wear them for "style" or use them in any way inconsistent with their original symbolism.
The first was: white people, stop trying to look trendy in African Traditionals at the AfroPunk event (can't load the article, just read the headline and facebook lede) Sounds like, "just not here at this moment, mkay?"
http://daughtersofthediaspora.com/white-folks-dashikis-afropunk/
And facebook brought up this other article that sounded interesting and was:
https://thsppl.com/black-america-pl...hing-and-tribal-marks-3210e65843a7#.fq5usnfq7
Which caused me to think as I read about the truth of that and how is some ways it asks, "can any culture truly expect to take it's "traditions" and freeze them in time and expect no one else to actually like it for what it is - a design, a fashion, a meaning even?
And are we not allowed to like something, just because you think it only has one meaning?
I like buckskin clothing with beads. I need to know that it also has a religious meaning to Native Americans in order to like it.
I like my pashmina headscarf for when I'm cold. I do not care that Muslims think it's a religious garment.
I like stained glass windows, not really caring that Catholics think they are a tribute to God.
I like African cloth patterns. They are colors that I love and shapes that I find appealing. Why can't I like them?
I like my wedding ring. I don't actually give a shit that Christians think it's a symbol of something that is "sacred" and "Godly", I wear it because I enjoy that it's pretty and that it's from my life partner.
I like my sari because it's colorful and shiny and fun and feels delicious. For all I know it's some traditional wedding color. But I don't get why it gets to be "reserved" for that.
And I further think about when I was a new parent of a young boy who likes his sneakers to have flowers on them, to wear brightly colored dresses ("they are easier to pee in, plus you can show everyone your superman underwear!") how many people said, he's not "allowed" to wear clothes that are "reserved for girls". No apologies - he likes them, you don't own fashion, and it's stupid to say one gender "owns" a certain type of clothing because "tradition."
I've never been swayed by the arguments against cultural appropriation. They seem to divide instead of showing how we all really like similar things. It seems to insist that we can't positively influence other cultures unless they _become_ us entirely.
Your thoughts?
The first was: white people, stop trying to look trendy in African Traditionals at the AfroPunk event (can't load the article, just read the headline and facebook lede) Sounds like, "just not here at this moment, mkay?"
http://daughtersofthediaspora.com/white-folks-dashikis-afropunk/
And facebook brought up this other article that sounded interesting and was:
https://thsppl.com/black-america-pl...hing-and-tribal-marks-3210e65843a7#.fq5usnfq7
For the life of me, I need to know:
Can Black people culturally appropriate one other?
It’s a nuanced question that seems to either set tempers aflare or create vacuums of silence in a room but, after going through pictures taken at the latest Afropunk Festival, it’s definitely one that I have to ask.
And if Blacks can, why is the disgust and uproar surrounding this ongoing phenomenon only reserved for instances when White people appropriate us?
I ask this because Black Twitter is littered with countless examples of the uproar that ensues when White people appropriate Black culture. Words such as fancy dress, mockery and profiteering are thrown around quite freely, but no one seems to realize that this selfsame violation is committed against us Africans — all under the guise of tribal fashion and connecting to The Motherland.
Yes, I know that African-inspired prints are poppin’ right now and many African designers have chosen to showcase certain styles to the global fashion scene, but it appears to me and my African friends that it’s been taken a step further. I understand that, for the most part, many of my own Black American friends are well meaning when they talk about African fashion, but the end result is still the same:
You take a cultural dress, mark or trait, with all its religious and historical connotations, dilute it, and bring it out for occasions when you want to look ‘trendy’.
Ask yourself, how exactly is that any better?
Which caused me to think as I read about the truth of that and how is some ways it asks, "can any culture truly expect to take it's "traditions" and freeze them in time and expect no one else to actually like it for what it is - a design, a fashion, a meaning even?
And are we not allowed to like something, just because you think it only has one meaning?
I like buckskin clothing with beads. I need to know that it also has a religious meaning to Native Americans in order to like it.
I like my pashmina headscarf for when I'm cold. I do not care that Muslims think it's a religious garment.
I like stained glass windows, not really caring that Catholics think they are a tribute to God.
I like African cloth patterns. They are colors that I love and shapes that I find appealing. Why can't I like them?
I like my wedding ring. I don't actually give a shit that Christians think it's a symbol of something that is "sacred" and "Godly", I wear it because I enjoy that it's pretty and that it's from my life partner.
I like my sari because it's colorful and shiny and fun and feels delicious. For all I know it's some traditional wedding color. But I don't get why it gets to be "reserved" for that.
And I further think about when I was a new parent of a young boy who likes his sneakers to have flowers on them, to wear brightly colored dresses ("they are easier to pee in, plus you can show everyone your superman underwear!") how many people said, he's not "allowed" to wear clothes that are "reserved for girls". No apologies - he likes them, you don't own fashion, and it's stupid to say one gender "owns" a certain type of clothing because "tradition."
I've never been swayed by the arguments against cultural appropriation. They seem to divide instead of showing how we all really like similar things. It seems to insist that we can't positively influence other cultures unless they _become_ us entirely.
Your thoughts?