Why Cultural Appropriation is Confusing

Cultural appropriation is viewed as a practice that encourages ignorance and racism and tends to evoke a negative emotion from minority groups. One example of such practices can be seen in the ways costume companies present their “ethnicity-themed” outfits. In which, companies will base costumes on what they believe traditional Asian clothing looks like. As a result, this form of visual culture tends to offend and misrepresent a group of people because of its inaccuracy. It does this by generalizing Asian countries into a common narrative while disregarding their drastic cultural differences.

Educational institutions such as Princeton University believe it’s important to engage “in a dialogue about the impact of cultural appropriation, Halloween, and why culture is not a costume” (Avery Matera, “Cultural Appropriation on Halloween: How Colleges Are Responding Teen Vogue” 2017). By engaging in discussion about these practices, it raises awareness about the issue of misrepresentation and inauthenticity of culture groups. As a result, mutual respect of otherness is built and people can learn how to appreciate each other’s heritage. Overall, it’s important to present authentic representations for groups because, “inaccuracies become ingrained in our society and have real consequences for those that are inaccurately represented” (Antwaun Sargent, “With Joyful Photos, a 19-Year-Old Artist Confronts Media Bias Against Black Male Teens” 2017).

The line between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation is very thin. While some believe cultural appropriation should be stopped others believe it’s a positive and inevitable thing. For instance, in Jenni Avins “The Dos and Don’ts of Cultural Appropriation” the author explains how modern culture would cease to exist if appropriation didn’t exist. Modern culture meaning the mixing of various cultures that are presented in popular visual culture and understanding. One example being “fusion cuisine.” This is where two or more cultures combine the most common flavors found in their foods and combine those flavors to create a “fusion.”

While cultural appropriation has a bad reputation for disrespecting cultures, it’s been practiced throughout history. For instance, what’s currently known as the traditional Chinese clothing “qipao” or “cheongsam” isn’t Chinese but Manchurian. While nationally, Manchurian and Chinese are the same, they’re ethnically different. Originally the Chinese wore a different traditional attire (hanfu) but once the Qing dynasty was in power, everything changed. The Chinese were forced into wearing Manchurian clothing or refuse and be punished by death. (Sin Chen Yeong, “Do You Know That Cheongsam is Not Chinese Traditional Clothing?” 2010) While this could be argued not cultural appropriation because it was an enforced law, it does present a case where cultural appropriation and adoption was acceptable and considered necessary. This also demonstrates how cultural appropriation shapes current understandings of cultures as they adopt from other cultures to create their own.

This doesn’t justify forms of negative cultural appropriation which work to misinform others about different cultures. This is just to state how cultural appropriation has been practiced throughout history and the positive aspects of cultural appropriation that could also be characterized as cultural appreciation or exchange. This also presents how our current understanding of well-known cultures such as the Chinese have contributed to cultural appropriation practices.

An example of positive cultural exchange that was done out of free will is my Aunt and Uncle’s wedding. My Aunt is Chinese while my Uncle is Japanese; they wanted to incorporate both aspects of their culture into their wedding. My Aunt incorporated Chinese culture through the reception when she decided to wear a red traditional cheongsam dress. On the other hand, my Uncle incorporated Japanese culture by having the bridesmaids and groomsmen fold 1000 golden paper cranes. After these cranes were folded, they were assembled together to create a crane picture also known as “tsuru.” While I don’t have access to their specific design, I’ve included an image of a similar one.

Overall, cultural appropriation has both negative and positive connotations. While cultural appropriation can create misinformation about a group of people through inaccurate representations, cultural exchange and appreciation presents the beauty of multiculturalism.