For some of us, cultural appropriation is a common topic. Whether it be on Tumblr, Youtube or Twitter, there has been a lot of talk about it, and a lot of accusations are thrown around. So – what’s the big deal with cultural appropriation? Fear not, my fellow classmates, because I’ve got you covered.

Culture itself is defined as the practices, beliefs, ideas, values, traditions, rituals, language, speech, modes of communication, material objects, and performances that are central to the social life of any given group of people. Culture is important because it influences every part of our lives from our perceptions and behavior to even our personalities.

When a dominant culture, such as westerners, moves into an area occupied by an oppressed or marginalized culture, like Native Americans, and takes over, forcing the marginalized culture to either adjust to their traditions and their culture or die, it is referred to as cultural assimilation. An example of this is Native American children who were forced into boarding schools by Christian Missionaries where they had to give up their traditional values and language in order to assimilate into a dominant white society.

Cultural appropriation is when someone takes something from a culture they don’t belong to and and uses it outside of that cultural context, usually without understanding its cultural significance and often changing its original meaning.

A great example of this is the swastika. We are all familiar with the swastika because of its use by the Nazis during the Holocaust. The swastika originally came from Hinduism and Buddhism where it was used as a sacred symbol that represented prosperity, good luck and liberation. However, in the 1920’s, the symbol was adopted and appropriated by the Nazi party and came to stand for the opposite of what it had originally stood for. So the swastika, which originally held religious and cultural significance in Hinduism and Buddhism, was taken by an outside group, The Nazi Party, and it lost its original meaning and became inaccessible to the culture from whence it came.

A modern-day example of cultural appropriation would be Katy Perry performing in a slightly modified kimono and geisha makeup or a bindi, which is taken out of the cultural context of the Asian countries that they originated in and misrepresented completely to the public eye.

The most important thing to remember when discussing cultural appropriation is its context. Cultural appropriation isn’t about the appropriator. It’s not about saying that you, by yourself, are a bad person for appropriating another culture. It is about the culture’s misrepresentation in the media and it is a matter of eliminating, rather than perpetrating, oppression that dates back centuries.

Another modern day example of cultural appropriation is the NFL team the Washington ‘Redskins’. There has been a lot of talk about changing the name due to its history. Earlier in America’s history, when colonial and state governments or even companies paid white people to kill Native Americans, the term ‘Redskin’ was used in reference to the scalps and genitalia that were removed from the bodies of Native Americans and used as proof of their “Indian kill”. Up to 90% of the Native American population was killed by European colonists; this is now referred to as a genocide.

Cultural appropriation is a problem across all cultures. Whether it be Native American, African American, Asian, Latino, Indian or any other culture you can possibly think of, it’s safe to say it has fallen victim to cultural appropriation. In the United States, the appropriation of Native Americans is common in sports due to the Native American-influenced mascots like the ‘Redskins’, ‘Chiefs’, ‘Braves’, and ‘Indians’. And it’s not just the mascot that appropriates indigenous culture. At Braves games – and even here at Heritage – support is shown for the team by doing “the tomahawk chop”, which is intended to imitate a Native American weapon. This is considered an act of appropriation because it sensationalizes an entire group of people down to one stereotype or characteristic.

The bottom line is that a culture is not a costume. Dressing up as a stereotypical portrayal of any race/group of people can be considered offensive. Native American headdresses, bindis, kimonos, stereotypically African American hairstyles, or even a poncho-and-sombrero combination can be considered appropriation even if the intention was just good fun. These styles of dress are unique to the cultures that they come from and most have a very deep religious, spiritual, and cultural meaning behind them that is completely being ignored when they are used simply as a costume.

A recent example of appropriation of African American culture is reality television personality Kylie Jenner’s ‘edgy’ and ‘epic’ dreads and cornrows. Most may think that this is not a big deal because it is just a hairstyle. But dreads, cornrows, and afros are some of the most natural and healthy ways for black men and women to style their hair. Due to negative stereotypes and whitewashing in the media and workplace, black people have been forced to wear their hair in a more ‘white’ way, and some have even faced unemployment due to negative associations with dreadlocks or cornrows. But when Kylie Jenner or Miley Cyrus wears them, it’s trendy.

An example of the appropriation of a Latino culture would be the sale of “authentic” latino dolls by retail stores. In these stores the dolls sell for twenty dollars or more, while in Guatemala a handmade one can be bought for two dollars. When retail stores sell these dolls that were made in factories by machines and assembly lines for high prices, the only people who benefit are the store owners. The cultures that inspired theses dolls aren’t getting a dime in return and are instead living in poverty while retail stores thrive off Latino culture.

And just like retail stores thriving off Latino culture, white musicians thrive off of rap, hip-hop and R&B while the creators of those music styles are overlooked. Artists like Iggy Azalea, Miley Cyrus, and Eminem top the charts while the artists that inspired them are overlooked. An artist can take inspiration from a type of music and even recreate it and it not be appropriation, but when the media only notices the white Rapper or R&B singer and not the person of color it becomes a problem of appropriation.

Cultural appropriation spreads lies about marginalized cultures and perpetuates racist stereotypes. The appropriation of Native American culture lead to a very incorrect portrayal of Pocahontas with the Disney film and then proceeded to support the stereotype that all Native Americans were savages, which isn’t true. The original story of Pocahontas is much less elegant and child friendly than the Disney film. The actual Pocahontas was a girl named Motoaka who was only a teenager when she was abducted by colonizers and forced to marry an Englishman and support racist propaganda till she died at age 21.

Keeping all this in mind, it is important to remember that a culture can be appreciated without being appropriated. We have the right to take influence from other cultures and appreciate them. But we also have a moral obligation to honor them and not disrespect or continue to oppress them, especially because of all the work that they they have put into becoming equal in society. We can be part of cultural exchange, which is where cultures willingly exchange pieces of their culture with each other. An example of this is a biracial wedding where the bride or groom invites the other to participate in a traditional ceremony from their culture.

How can we avoid cultural appropriation when we are trying to appreciate another culture? When appreciating an aspect of another culture, cite your influences. We shouldn’t wear clothing specific to a culture if we don’t know its significance. If someone doesn’t know anything about the significance of headdresses in Native American culture, or bindis in Indian culture, then they should probably leave them at home.

An authentic cultural exchange shouldn’t feel like thievery or plagiarism – it should be affirming. Both parties should be comfortable, one side shouldn’t feel like anything has been stolen from them or disrespected. In America we have freedom of speech, but we should be using this freedom to make sure that we are all viewed equally and that no group of people is being treated unfairly because of their cultural background, or being forced to adopt another culture in order to be treated with respect.