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Original poster

Is it cultural appropriation?

55 replies

IStillMissBlockbuster · 11/10/2018 19:53

As a white English woman, to buy and wear something like this?

I genuinely don’t mean to be a twat or deliberately inflammatory. But I love African print clothes and i have hesitated over buying something like the above. I don’t think it would be because this particular item would be bought from an individual, rather than a corporation that is benefitting at the expense of real people. But after that American student getting roasted online for wearing a Chinese dress (was it a Kimono? Not sure) to prom, I can’t be sure. I’d be interested to hear your views.

OP posts:
LittleMissedTheSunshine · 12/10/2018 13:50

So because some people were bad to some other people a long time ago no one is allowed to wear a bindi/ henna their hands/ put their hair in dreadlocks unless they have the right ethnic background in case it offends someone? Riiiiight....

Nettled · 12/10/2018 13:53

There's no such thing as cultural appopriation. It's made up by "concerned people" in order to sow dissent and sell tabloids

I guarantee you that the people who read tabloids are not people who are overly concerned about cultural appropriation. Or are even likely to be able to define it. Or spell it. Hmm

ToucanPlayAtThatGame · 12/10/2018 14:05

I can't comment on the cultural appropriation aspect...
But it's a beautiful skirt! AND IT HAS POCKETS!

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Original poster
IStillMissBlockbuster · 12/10/2018 14:35

Yes! It has pockets! I'd probably wear it with a single colour, 3/4 length sleeve type top. Maybe blue if I have one that goes. Otherwise black. Plus Mary Jane shoes maybe? Kitten heel? I'm tall anyway.

OP posts:
DisrespectfulAdultFemale · 12/10/2018 14:40

It has pockets!

Why didn't you say so in the first place? It's definitely cultural appropriation. I mean, someone, somewhere, must have a culture where clothing has pockets and to wear an item of clothing that is constructed that way is appropriating their culture.

Eminado · 12/10/2018 15:05

Ok please dont make fun of cultural appropriation. It’s not funny.

This however is not cultural appropriation.

Eminado · 12/10/2018 15:09

This reply has been deleted

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AdamNichol · 12/10/2018 15:19

Cultural appropriation is where someone attempts to mirror a different group in order to gain a positive from it without enduring any of the downside (or, worse still, turn faux-victim). It is not publishing a recipe or wearing some fabric [and do not get me started on the ludicrous self importance of the "fashion" industry].

I hail from a couple of minority sections of society (albeit one self-inflicted). I'm a Pagan; do I get all upset when someone dresses up for hallowe'en with no understanding of Samhain or what Jack O'Lanterns are for? No. Though it irks me when supposed in the know types - especially a local reverend to me once - decry hallowe'en as a US appropriation. They should know better.
I'm also a biker. What is selected for protection for us is copied by the fashion world every so often. A few years ago there were Sons of Anarchy style cuts and patches on sale in TopMan. Some actual patch wearers (the actual nasty kind) took offence to the commercialisation of something sacred and hard earned in their world. Everyone else laughed at the phoney who bought one.

There is such a thing as cultural appropriation, but its one of those phrases that has now been adopted by the Right to restrict integration across groups - they attack the minority for having dual identity, now attack the majority for "cultural appropriation" and you keep the 2 apart

AdamNichol · 12/10/2018 15:24

This reminds me of the who baa baa rainbow sheep thing from a few years back. People being offended on behalf of someone else, and in doing so showing their own latent racism - "Of course, I can see that this isn't offensive; but those people over there don't have that same cognitive prowess"

tectonicplates · 12/10/2018 15:29

I'm also a biker. What is selected for protection for us is copied by the fashion world every so often. A few years ago there were Sons of Anarchy style cuts and patches on sale in TopMan. Some actual patch wearers (the actual nasty kind) took offence to the commercialisation of something sacred and hard earned in their world.

Oh FGS, biker style isn't based on racism or racial superiority. Cultural appropriation is definitely a thing but wearing biker jackets isn't it.

AlmaGeddon · 12/10/2018 15:34

The next English person I pass wearing tartan will get a Glesgae KISS - you have been warned....

AdamNichol · 12/10/2018 15:55

Oh FGS, biker style isn't based on racism or racial superiority. Cultural appropriation is definitely a thing but wearing biker jackets isn't it.

Which was exactly my point. The label is being applied wherever whenever.

However (side point), bikers are treated as a sub-class. You often have to pay for petrol before they'll turn the pump on. Some drive thrus specifically ban bikes [coz they might ride off without paying they say. So might a Ford Fiesta gonna ban them too??]. You get followed by store detectives if you have a crash helmet with you and not if you don't

FoxFoxSierra · 12/10/2018 16:15

Its beautiful! I think I understand what cultural appropriation is but what I don't understand is why drag isn't cultural appropriation

3ChangingForNow · 12/10/2018 16:18

If you wore the clothes of royalty or priesthood it would be cultural appropriation. This is fine.

tectonicplates · 12/10/2018 16:26

@AdamNichol Well done for completely missing my point. The point is that it's ridiculous for bikers to get annoyed by high street biker fashion because they're not sacred or religious clothes. You remind me of when teenage metalheads got annoyed with Top shop and H&M selling Metallica t-shirts. Nobody owns the rights to this style.

Completely different from white people wearing Native American headdress for fun.

AdamNichol · 12/10/2018 16:45

@tectonicplates - and you get to decide what is valued? Thank you for so eloquently exemplifying part of the problem. The 3 piece patch for some biker organisations is forged through significant hardship; in other's it comes from shared experiences in the military, emergency services, and other hazardous occupations. Possession of one stems from a unity with other people (even if chosen as opposed to applied like racial identity). It can be a sacred as anything else. And unlike memorabilia for favoured music groups, it is NOT available as a commercial entity. Its adoption as a bit of frivolous fashion could be viewed as demeaning by some.

My point, however, wasn't whether one group or another is entitled to possession of a thing as a cultural device, but an antagonism of the ease by which people with no connection to said culture wade in with their accusations of cultural appropriation. Each culture is perfectly adept at expressing it's own dislike; it doesn't need middle class whites to arbitrarily select some of these to feel offended on their behalf

tectonicplates · 12/10/2018 16:54

Erm, no. Cultural appropriation is about racism.

UnderMajorDomoMinor · 12/10/2018 16:59

It’s fine it’s just a normal skirt with a print which is African. You’re not proposing wearing someone’s reglious robes clubbing or something!

anniehm · 12/10/2018 17:51

Wear what you like - I have a lovely African print dress bought as a gift from an African friend - she obviously has no issues with me wearing it, I also have a Japanese kimono, a gift from a Japanese friends mother!

YouBetterWORK · 12/10/2018 18:06

Back in the 2000s when bindi wearing was a thing, I did to a student nightclub and an Indian guy gave me a wink and two thumbs up. About 10 years ago I went out on Halloween dressed as Chun Li from street fighter. I think looking back the first instance was, but unclear on the second as it's a character but I wouldn't wear the costume now just in case (I still have it, it's lovely.) probably don't fit in it either

Gorgeous skirt though!

Gilead · 12/10/2018 18:18

The level of ignorance and blithe dismissal on this thread is really very worrying.

YeTalkShiteHen · 12/10/2018 18:21

Is it cultural appropriation when black women straighten their hair, or wear western style clothes, or have their skin lightened? Of course not.

And the award for spectacularly missing the point goes to....

The ones that do probably have too much time on their hands

Ah yes, those bored people with too much time on their hands talking about how racism affects them. Silly them Confused.

I hate hate hate threads like these. Not because of the OP, but because of the astoundingly ignorant twats that follow.

donkey86 · 12/10/2018 18:24

The level of ignorance and blithe dismissal on this thread is really very worrying

Is it necessarily ignorance? Might it not just be people with a different opinion?

YeTalkShiteHen · 12/10/2018 18:25

Might it not just be people with a different opinion?

Not on this thread, no. It’s ignorance.

Gilead · 12/10/2018 19:24

Might it not just be people with a different opinion?

Not on this thread, no. It’s ignorance.

Yep, ignorant and racist.

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