America is the biggest power in the world and a cosmopolitan country. Modern culture’s mood of living and thinking has originated from the soil of America and spread all over the world. It is wonderful to know what a big fuss is all about when it comes to cultural appropriation. People always want to do something new over there. They tend to experiment with things in many ways and in different spheres. Although, there is a vast difference between the culture of Europe and Asia.
As Rudyard Kipling has said in “The Ballad of East and West”
Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, though they come from the ends of the earth!
There is an act of taking certain cultural meanings from their original context and applying them to another. Today’s fashion trends also have similar complaints. Music videos prove it can often lead to the broadcasting of warped depictions of specific cultures.
The annual University Athletic Association of the Philippines(UAAP) cheer dance competition has always been an occasion to experiment with different themes. This year, however, the Muslim, Chinese, and native American motifs used by the dancers from the University of Santo Tomas(UST), Far Eastern University (FEU), National University(NU), and University of the East(UE) triggered a social media uproar regarding the issue of cultural insensitivity.
There are some inappropriate appropriations. Most people think ethnic appropriation is harmful. Some others think cultural appropriation is celebratory. It can be a root for a sense of identity. When we see some outsider using our cultural element we feel proud of ourselves, either it may not be pinching or to make fun only. But the question is why do people do that? The answer is very clear. There is a certain kind of curiosity, what these other cultures are? The motives fuelling ethnic appropriation are not always malicious. Some people see it as a way of immensity in a culture other than their own or creating awareness about sensitive issues.
Cultural Appropriation in Pop Culture:
Cultural Appropriation has been a part of pop culture for so long. It lies with the relative novelty of unfamiliarity. There is an attraction to see a group whose ways of transacting with the world differ from ours. It becomes too amusing when only the surface elements of a culture carry over.
On the subject of the costumes, the students of different Universities in Philippine used the entire culture reducing to their image. They put on it just for fun as if it was just a matter of style rather than something with deep cultural meaning. Several celebrities are guilty of this too. In 2013, Lady Gaga wore a hypersexual version of the traditional Islamic hijab or veil. She encouraged her fans to take of themselves in similar outfits using the #burqaswag by Muslim women.
At Coachella Valley, Music and Arts Festival pop stars like Selena Gomez and Kendall Jenner were spotted sporting the bindi, a decorative mark worn by Hindu women on their foreheads that has a great religious significance for Hindu women. In India ‘Bindi’ on the forehead and ‘Sindoor’ on the middle of their head show a married women’s love, affection, care, and responsibility towards her husband.
In a globalized world today most of us have access to a wide spectrum of cultures. Therefore it seems impossible to avoid cultural appropriation or appreciation. It is somewhat also necessary to learn and adapt to each other for the evolution of either society. But one should be cautious about the way in which the cultural symbols play out. One needs to fully understand another’s culture before applying it.
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