Cultural Appropriation In Pop Culture

By Amanda Cohen on October 18, 2015

Cultural appropriation: a term that I knew the general concept of, but could never pinpoint an exact definition for.

After Kylie Jenner’s poor choice in hairstyle and Sarah Jessica Parker’s insensitive choice of wearing a flamboyant Chinese-styled headdress to this year’s Met Gala, I decided to look more into the concept.

Cultural appropriation is defined as the adoption of a culture’s (different from your own) behavior, style, and rituals. In most cases however, cultural appropriation has been deemed as theft rather than adoption and is mostly restricted to minority cultures.

Photo via http://www.eonline.com

One may ask why this idea of cultural appropriation should be a concern for him/her; a person might be thinking that they are always respectful of other cultures, so why should he/she continue reading? Let me tell you why you need to really think about this topic: cultural appropriation is an example of a micro-aggression that one can unintentionally embrace. You might think that your outfit and/or behavior are harmless, but you could actually be disrespecting someone else’s cultural values.

Asian culture has been a target of cultural appropriation for quite some time now. Recently, however, Katy Perry and Sarah Jessica Parker have been two main instigators of inappropriately representing various Asian cultures.

Sarah Jessica Parker’s lavish headdress at the 2015 Met Gala stirred up controversy, as she has absolutely no ties to Chinese culture. Parker’s headdress was a mockery of a fengguan, an article of clothing worn by upper class women during the Tang and Ming Dynasties. Even though Parker probably was not trying to mock Chinese traditions, her use of a fegguan as a fashion statement was politically incorrect and culturally insulting.

Photo via http://www.usmagazine.com

Katy Perry did not help the case of cultural appropriation in pop culture with her performance of her song Unconditionally at the American Music Awards. Perry costumed herself in a Geisha outfit, complete with white face paint, dark eyes, and red lips. Geishas are Japanese female entertainers of men; they use song, dance, conversation, and games to accommodate their customers.

Unconditionally talks about a woman’s unbreakable love for her man, no matter what he does in their relationship. Perry essentially is equating geishas, historically significant figures, to servants for men; Perry should have done more research on Japanese culture before drawing this comparison.

Photo via http://www.today.com

Movements that advocate the equality between races, religions, and cultures are extremely prominent in our modern-day society. Celebrities, as well as the entire population, must be more sensitive, understanding, and appreciative of the melting pot of cultures present in the United States.

Even though it might be odd to some, people look up to these celebrities and tend to alter their behaviors and appearances to be more like them. Celebrities, be the change that you want to see in the world and put an end to cultural appropriation in pop culture.

Photo via http://theodysseyonline.com

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