A similar incident happened in 2016 when a 13-year-old South African activist, Zulaikha Patel, led a protest at her white-owned Pretoria High School for Girls against the school's ban on wearing natural hair. There are many hairstyles black women and girls wear that directly correlate with their identity and culture, but mainstream media often doesnt seem to recognize it -- and bashes them when they do. This time, its white people sporting dreadlocks who are provoking wrath the first being a white student at an American university who was filmed being confronted over his hairstyle, the second none other than Justin Bieber, who posted a selfie sporting a new do. Yes it is cultural appropriation. Offers may be subject to change without notice. I couldnt be more tired of this shit. Whenever a client mispronounces a style or calls it by the wrong name, stylists have a role in correcting them so that they leave with more context and knowledge. Cultural appropriation is complicated, which is all the more reason we need to be talking about it. Angela Bassett wears a tignon in American Horror Story: Coven. This, however, more often exemplifies assimilation than appropriation. The debate around hair cuffs centers around two main arguments. People just look lame, but thats their call. The white musicians are not an invention, but they had gone to New Orleans earlier and heard jazz and came back and claimed they had invented it. The concept of cultural appropriation is a topic that divides many, and the debate recently made headlines again when Justin Bieber posted a selfie of himself sporting dreadlocks and a video of a black student telling a white teenager to cut his dreads went viral. For instance, America. However, the impact of whiteness benefiting from aspects of culture that are historically black is not to be dismissed. I am a white woman and I have been seeing braids with beads as a trend on tik tok, Instagram, and Snapchat. For many black women, a salon is a place of community and it may sound silly, but theyre sacred spaces to us. The video, which now has more than3.5m views, shows a black student asking if she can have some scissors to cut off the white guys dreads, saying he is not allowed to wear his hair that way because dreadlocks belong to black culture. But, if youre going to get your hair done in a traditionally black style, why not go to a black stylist? Cuisine often exemplifies cultural exchange as its best. Additionally, year-round parties in which the theme is something stereotypically associated with a specific group of people (Looking at you, thug parties) goes beyond cultural appropriation in just being blatantly racist. culture appropriation is a western concept & as long as we live here, we should respect the ppl & what they believe if that makes sense. When it comes to pop culture, artists like Katy Perry have been criticized for cultural appropriation. Please select the topics you're interested in: Would you like to turn on POPSUGAR desktop notifications to get breaking news ASAP? Theres a reason why The Brady Bunchs Marcia would famously count every pass over, PSA: The Dyson Airwrap Was Just Restocked Run, Dont Walk, This Hair Mask Is So Good, I Look Forward To Wash Day. It doesnt bother me when I see white people with dreadlocks. 1 We can do that by looking at the industries we work in and asking ourselves if they really reflect the face of the population, and if not, why not? Heres My Take. WebAnswer (1 of 9): 1. Im genuinely curious and want to be the best person I can be! If youre looking for a hard line on what constitutes cultural appropriation what does not, I unfortunately dont have the answers you seek. There is a reason beyond ease that points to why most of my black friends dont wear their hair naturally, choosing straight, long weaves and relaxer over their natural helix curls. However, the comments below it didn't share the same praise -- actress, Like Elle UK, Lucky Magazine was mistaken about baby hair, too. Like Elle UK, Lucky Magazine was mistaken about baby hair, too. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Cultural appropriation means using a racial, religious, or social group's customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits without authority or right. Hairstyles could bring communities together, especially between those of color. Get your daily beauty fix right in your inbox. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Of course, telling someone they cannot do something on the grounds of arbitrary notions of race is always going to provoke a strong emotional response the comments under articles on the topic saying things like, You are honestly going to deny people freedom of expression based on the colour of their skin? reveal as much. Why You Should Think Twice Before Wearing This Type Of Hair Jewelry, companies that has been called out for cultural appropriation. What are hair cuffs? Five of the most explicit anime films ever, Unravelling the disturbing theory behind Ghiblis Totoro, Five ads that took body-shaming to a whole new level, decided to twist his peroxide-blonde mane, she would cut off white student Cory Goldsteins dreadlocks. At the heart of conversations about CA in its very definition is an imbalance of power. Bantu knots, Fulani braids, and cornrows are just some of the African hairstyles that have been around for centuries. Do you have knowledge or insights to share? Cornrows, or what I affectionately refer to as doo doo plaits, have become a new trend known as boxer braids adopted by white celebrities. I am not African and won't presume to speak for those who are, but an observation from my own experience is: being from North America - which I assume you are as you mention skin colour as a defining trait and use the term "cultural appropriation" - you will find a significant portion of the rest of the world slightly bemused by the question, as (in Europe at least) the idea of ethnicity is a set of overlapping circles of culture of upbringing, location of upbringing and even just state of mind. Hello! Are Hair Cuffs Cultural Appropriation? Stereotypes around Black hair, as we've discovered, have literally kept Black women from work and education, making it more difficult to be financially independent members of society. Would someone of color wearing barrettes be appropriating culture? Sometimes I look at silly things like this and wonder about people. Fix your hai During New York Fashion Week last September, Lucky referred to the style as slicked-down tendrils. Though this style is a bit more drastic than how black people traditionally wear it, the gelled-down concept is similar. According to Africa.com, the beads arent just for aesthetics, they hold a special significance. There are many Latinx people who dont acknowledge their Afro roots. If someone is wearing hair cuffs out of a genuine appreciation for the culture from which they originate, then it could be argued that it is not an act of cultural appropriation. A photo posted by King Kylie (@kyliejenner) on Feb 6, 2015 at 3:13pm PST. This has led to a heated debate about whether wearing hair cuffs is an act of cultural appropriation or a sign of appreciation. In a piece for Everyday Feminism, author Maisha Z. Johnson says, Recent transplants to the [Bay Area] write Yelp reviews in search of 'authentic Mexican food' without the 'sketchy neighborhoods' which usually happen to be what they call neighborhoods with higher numbers of people of color., Eating and enjoying food from another culture is not inherently appropriative or wrong. A post shared by Adriana Lima (@adrianalima). Many fashion accessories that are widely used originated from other cultures. For example, YouTube user Dav Ze asked the pertinent question: lolz why the dude didnt killed that negress right there?. In this case, as in the case of Marc Jacobs, the tension isnt stemming from the surface act of borrowing from another culture; its coming from the inequality surrounding it. The argument that black people have reason to be wary of white celebrities adopting aspects of practices they see as their own because they have been affected by the claws of Eurocentric beauty ideals seems stronger, in my opinion, than the one which centres around where dreadlocks come from and which culture has more claim over them. The primary problem lies in the fact while black women receive cultural repercussions, like being fired from their job, for wearing dreadlocks or braids, women who arent black can sport the same hairstyle and be praised for being cool and edgy. As Zeba Blay writes in this piece for HuffPost, White women are able to wear black hairstyles without the stigma of actually being black., Often used as a counterargument are black women who wear blonde weaves or straighten their hair. But recently, I've begun to, As a beauty editor, I see firsthand how appropriative hairstyling can be hurtful and cruel. And adding onto what some other ppl have commented, i agree that that hairstyles like cornrows for example are offensive/cultural appropriation, but some ppl are stating that this is different from that and some people are saying that its the same concept therefore it IS cultural appropriation. Nor is anything else. Chokers, for instance, rose in popularity in Victorian England, while eye liner originated in ancient Egypt (via Vice). One hai, Im convinced that TikTok has been trying to persuade me to get locs for a while now. There is a contentious and confusing history with food and cultural appropriation. However, when pop culture takes parts from people who have not been historically deemed cool and beautiful and allows those parts to thrive through the bodies and voices of people who have been deemed cool and beautiful, we need to take notice. But many Africans (actual Africans) from Africa say that they enjoy when other people embrace their culture, so Im confused. Ultimately, it is up to individuals to decide whether wearing hair cuffs is an act of cultural appropriation or a sign of appreciation. Niwa elaborates that those things being "taken," or appropriated as one's own, include "ideas, dress, food, artifacts, history, or spiritual practicessuch as yoga, and the language around things like tantric sex ." But Teen Vogue chose white model Phillipa Steele to showcase the look last month. We need to acknowledge the snap judgments we make about people; ask ourselves, why do I think this?; and challenge any assumptions that exist in the answer to that question. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. However, it becomes a problem when appreciation becomes fetishization, when exchange is one-sided, or when cultures are reduced to a single stereotype. A simple definition of cultural appropriation is the idea of someone adopting something from a culture that is not their own. Tignon Laws set the tone for the stereotyping of Black hairstyles that currently exists. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. A photo posted by Rita Ora (@ritaora) on May 14, 2015 at 6:58pm PDT. The case was put forward a second time in 2016 and was dismissed again by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Click Registration to join us and share your expertise with our readers.). A Comprehensive Review. As a braider, it's definitely my duty to clear out all of that right away.. The style arrived in the West Indies as far back as 1844 via the coolie trade, where workers from China and the Indian subcontinent were brought in to replace the now-illegal slaves. For many black women, we wear our in braids as a protective style. And thats the crucial aspect of CA that gets overlooked, and the reason the CA dialogue leaves something to be desired. 1 day ago. However, for others, it can be seen as disrespectful or even offensive. WebSimply put, there is no such thing as cultural appropriation. In response, New York and California banned discrimination on the basis of hair in 2019, and the UK is currently petitioning for government protections against natural hair discrimination. Certainly, getting my hair braided also benefited my dad. But giving credit where credit is due is essential when it comes to using aesthetics or styles that originated elsewhere, especially when those things have significant Why can Black women wear straight and blond weaves but non-Black women can't wear braids or cornrows? White are hair cuffs cultural appropriation and I have been around for centuries debate around hair cuffs an. Forward a second time in 2016 and was dismissed again by the 11th Circuit Court of.. The answer to that question lame, but theyre sacred spaces to.. To pop culture, artists like Katy Perry have been criticized for cultural appropriation or a sign of.... 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