Culture 101

APPROPRIATION
vs

APPRECIATION
By: Maanasi Shyno

This summer, Chinese fast fashion brand, Shein, released several culturally insensitive pieces that
sparked outrage on social media. South Asian cultural garments were being modeled by white women
as sleepwear and Muslim prayer mats depicting holy images were being sold as multipurpose “fringe
carpets”. After backlash from these communities, Shein issued an apology for the “oversight” and
created a diversely staffed product review committee to prevent future mistakes. Just days later,
Shein released
a necklace with a buddhist swastika pendant.
Seeing the Shein products brought to mind my first time seeing pictures of Coach- ella, a popular
music festival hosted annually in California. At the time, I wasn’t well-versed on the reasons cultural ap-
propriation was so problematic and my parents didn’t seem to mind, but the pictures of white girls wearing
bindis made me uncomfortable. Coachella attendees have also worn cornrows, Native American headdresses, and
kimonos— all belonging to cultures they knew little to nothing about and were simply wearing a “festival look”. Like
many people of color growing up in the US, my culture is inherently part of my identity, serving as both a source of
pride and social stigma. For a POC living in America to see something so personal displayed by the same people who
use culture as a vehicle to alienate POCs is not only disorienting, but deeply invalidating.
Cultural appropriation is a legacy of colonialism and profiteering. Fortunately, there has been a great shift towards
caring about cultural appropriation and insensitivity. But, there’s still a lot of confusion around how to check your-
selves and how to show appreciation, without being insensitive.

What is cultural appropriation?

Cultural appropriation and cultural insensitivity are two distinct things that often work in tandem. To understand
these terms, it’s important to grasp the concept of cultural knowledge. Cultural knowledge refers to the norms, values,
symbols, beliefs, and practices, and objects belonging to a specific culture. For example, in South Asian culture, our
traditional clothing designs like the saree would be considered cultural knowledge. This knowledge inherently belongs
to that culture, sort of like an unspoken patent.
Just like with anything patented, there are rules as to how this cultural knowledge can be used and by whom. At a
basic level, the integrity of the original concept must be preserved and respected, especially when the person engaging
with the culture is not from it. When the cultural knowledge of a group is ‘borrowed’ by another without this preserva-
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tion and respect, it is considered cultural appropriation.
Additionally, when speaking about or engaging with a culture, it’s important to do so respect-
fully. Typically, to be respectful, you must be sensitive to the fact that you do not know
everything about the culture. You must also educate yourself to avoid perpetuating or
engaging with stereotypes. When this is not done or not done properly, it is considered
cultural insensitivity. Appropriation and insensitivity compound to perpetuate racism and
stereotypes, making life difficult for POCs. Because most cultural appropriation originates
from cultural insensitivity, most discussions regarding cultural appropriation will not
treat the two as mutually exclusive.
Cultural appreciation is not simply engaging with a culture, but doing so with respect
and humility. This means making an effort to be knowledgeable about that culture and
to be committed to preventing meaning from being stripped from the cultural practice
or object. It also re- quires consideration and support for the people belonging to that
culture. You have to actively give credit to the culture, while not taking from
it for personal gain. You also have to recognize that there is an ineras-
able power dynamic between those of the culture who must endure
discrimination and others who are able to disengage as well as perpetuate
that discrimination at will.

Why is it important?
Cultural appropriation and insensitivity can be harmful to the communities and groups
that cultural elements originate from. That should be reason enough for it to matter. But let’s dive
into some specific reasons.
First, profiting off of a culture while ostracizing that culture takes away from the work that
minority has done to rid themselves of internalized oppression and self-hatred. It’s no secret that it’s
hard for minorities to embrace their identities when society pushes whitewashed ideals upon us.
To then use parts of that identity for profit signals that there’s nothing about the cultural
idea itself that is unappealing, just who engages with it and when. For example, Black
women are discriminated against when wearing natural hairstyles and feel pressured to
wear wigs or straightened hair in the workplace due to the whitewashed idea of a ‘profes-
sional’ look. Simultaneously, they see white models sporting cornrows, a style with a lot
of cultural weight, as “high fashion”. This solidifies the division between “society” and
the “other” in ways that leave lasting impressions and damage. By trivializing the history of
certain peoples, cultural appropriation also serves as aggression by dehumanizing and de-
nying people of their identities. In doing so, it also allows for intergenerational trauma, the
compounding transfer of trauma between generations. This is absolutely unacceptable if we
are to progress towards a fairer, freer world in which people can be comfortable with their
identities.
Second, cultural appropriation and the use of cultural knowledge often boils down
a significant aspect of a culture to a trend or object to be misused. For example, in Islam, the
prayer mat is holy and only used when praying. It is treated respectfully at all times and kept
safely when not being used. The mats being sold by Shein were directly pulled from Islamic cul-
ture, even depicting the Kaaba, the holiest site for Muslims. Additionally, the mats were being used
as rugs for pets, including dogs, which are considered impure in Islam. To advertise these mats for
casual use is inappropriate and disrespectful to Islamic culture. Although Shein issued an apology
and removed the item, allowing the product to enter the market in the first place sends a clear mes-
sage about Shein’s priorities. By simplifying complex, significant elements of a culture to a casual
item for consumption, meaning is stripped and the cultural knowledge is essentially stolen.

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How to appreciate a culture and identify appropriation
1. Educate yourself: A deep understanding/commitment to understanding the roots and background is inher-
ent in appreciating a culture. You need to dive deeper than the aesthetics of a culture. This could take many
forms, from dedicating yourself to studying the culture or participating in cultural traditions with friends (by
invite of course!). If your friends are comfortable, ask questions! All it takes is a Google search to become
more familiar with a culture than you were before. Of course, educating yourself does not permit you to par-
ticipate in a culture; you must also consider other factors!
2. Question your intentions: Ask yourself if there is a reason that you want to engage with the practice. If you
want to wear another culture’s clothing or accessories, is it because you genuinely find the items and their sig-
nificance beautiful or do you want to participate in a “trend”? If you are planning to explore another culture’s
art form, are you doing it out of appreciation or because you think it will make you look cool? If you stand
something to gain and your engagement is more about yourself than you interacting respectfully with the
culture, you’re probably appropriating.
3. Ask yourself how you could hurt someone: If you think that your actions could hurt or offend
someone, there’s definitely something wrong there. Brainstorm ways you could relate appreciation
that would make people feel respected or rethink engagement. For example, wearing geisha make-
up and a kimono for Halloween, regardless of your appreciation of the culture, would be unac-
ceptable. Asian people suffer from the exoticisation and fetishization of their culture. Seeing
you make a character out of an important aspect of their culture would be painful. There’s no
perfect way to make sure you aren’t hurting someone. It’s important to be open to conversation
and remedy any mistakes you make.
4. Give credit and support the culture!: If you’re taking inspiration from a culture, acknowl-
edge that! Even if you feel like you’ve created something that is really your own, it’s important
to give credit. This can be done by referencing a cultural origin or spotlighting other artists.
If you’re buying cultural items, make sure they are authentic so you can support the culture
and their artists financially. If you’re wearing a cultural piece, you can share what you’ve
learned about the historical background with others! (Johnson)

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 Ultimately, culture is hard. A lot of our “mainstream” or “Internet” culture
is inspired by Latinx and Black heritages, so it’s hard to know if something popular
is something cultural we need to understand better. Cultures are fluid and dynamic,
overlapping with each other, so it’s challenging to attribute credit. But at the end of
the day, it’s worth it to take note of instances where we may be participating in
cultural appropriation because it helps us respect those around us and teaches us
to hold ourselves responsible for our choices. There are no set rules: this is a
practice you have to keep updating as time goes on. It’s okay to make mistakes
and it’s certainly okay to love and appreciate other cultures, as long as we love
and appreciate all of the complexities and histories that come with the
beautiful aspects.

Work Cited

Johnson, Maisha Z. “What’s Wrong with Cultural Appropriation? These 9 An-

swers Reveal Its Harm.” Everyday Feminism, 14 Aug. 2020, everydayfeminism.
com/2015/06/cultural-appropriation-wrong/.

Designs by: Sophie Williams