OPINION
BY M’Chaelah Brown, Freshmen
In America there are many different people all who all have different religions affecting their culture. The effect is that it allows people to people adopt parts of a culture that are not their own.
Is sharing culture wrong? Yes, it is wrong when the culture to which that trait belongs to is seen differently or in a different light. If one culture can do it and be seen in a positive light then so should the original culture.
For instance In February 2015 Kylie Jenner was seen sporting faux locs. She also was also seen in the public eye wearing cornrows, and was then credited with starting a new bold and edgy trend.
Hollywoodlife.com states that “The 17-year-old shared a photo of her new hairdo and we’re really digging it.”
Also in February the actress and singer Zendaya Coleman wore faux locs to The Oscars. One of the co-host of E!’s show Fashion Police Giuliana Rancic, 40 took it upon herself to voice her opinion on the then 18 year-old star.
Rancic stated that Coleman's hair looked like it “smells like patchouli oil. Or, weed."
Once the people were enraged Rancic took it upon herself to apologize to Coleman on Twitter, after Coleman replied to the rude comments made about her.
“I was referring to a bohemian-chic look,” Rancic said.
This is wrong because locs are a part of black culture. It is unfair and disrespectful to black people and their culture for the superior race in America to claim it theirs.
Many black people are forced to cut their locs every day to conform to the corporate world or our society in general.
Cultural Appropriation has been happening for a long time but with the technology there was no way to see the exact people doing it. Now with modern technology and social media people can not only identify the exact people doing it but react and/or respond to it.
One person who responded and called to action is activist and actress best known for her role as Rue in “The Hunger Games” is Amandla Stenberg, 17. Stenberg posted a video entitled “Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows” . Stenberg discuss issues where people in the eyes of the media use black culture to gain their own success.
“Appropriation occurs when the appropriator is not aware of the deep significance of the culture they are partaking in,” Stenberg said.
As we get further into the late 2000s white people continue to use black culture including hair, hip hop music, clothing, and more to gain a following or be more successful in their careers.
“As the weather warms, we’ve got to think of creative ways to get our hair up and off our faces while still looking cool and chic!,” Referring to the Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2015 Fashion show using “mini twist” which are traditionally called bantu knots that Africans have been doing for over a thousand years to keep their hair maintained.
Appropriation is not only when white people take from culture without realizing the significance but not giving credit to the culture to whom it belongs to. This gives the only people that have privilege in America and the world the illusion that they have created something they can call theirs.
Many argue that there is nothing wrong with adopting another culture and that this concept of appropriation does not exist. This theory has one problem with it.
In America and all over the world there is white privilege. White privilege is a set of advantage that whites have in their daily life that minorities do not. Because white privilege exists, appropriation will too because of America’s history.
There has not been a time in history where whites have exchanged culture, they take and steal then call it their own.
Cultural appropriation is wrong, and it is not a sharing of culture. It is a double standard that exists in America and the world. Using another person's culture and being given perceived in a way that is better is unjust.
If Lady Liberty loved black people as much as she loved black culture, then what would she be like?
