Fashion: A prevailing custom or style of dress, etiquette, socializing, etc.
In examining the deeply ingrained racism against Black people in America, I found myself asking, is fashion racist? In short, yes. If it intersects and engages with history, with the determining of what is “in style” and who’s voices are amplified, then yes. It is, by its sole existence, racist. This is a three-part series examining racism in fashion. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but as a starting point to question everything around us. Every industry we are a part of, every article of clothing we put on our bodies each day is a choice, but it no longer need be an ignorant one. As a warning, I will be addressing slavery, rape, and other forms of violence in this series. Take care of yourself as needed.
Is Cultural Appropriation Racist?
To quote the wise words of Wikipedia, “Cultural appropriation, at times also phrased cultural misappropriation, is the adoption of an element or elements of one culture by members of another culture. This can be controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from disadvantaged minority cultures.” You’ve probably witnessed cultural appropriation dozens of times in life or in the media, like when a white woman wears a native American headdress to Coachella, or dresses like a Geisha for Halloween. As identified below, you can see how cultural appropriation exists within the context of fashion, but it can also cross over into music, food and even speech patterns.
Alessandra Ambrosio wore a Native headdress to Coachella, without first understanding its cultural meaning.
We can trace cultural appropriation back throughout history, but most notably in the US to the use of blackface during Minstrel shows. Minstrel shows were variety acts of comedy, music and skits made popular in the 1800’s. In them, white actors painted their skin black and enacted painful stereotypes played for laughs. Minstrel shows were so popular, some of them ran on Broadway for upwards of 10 years. The character “Jim Crow” is one of the most well-known minstrel characters and was played by the white actor, Thomas Dartmouth Rice in Louisville. White actors painted their skin black and made money, were applauded by live audiences, and garnered fame. Black people born with the skin these actors tried to emulate were ridiculed, criminalized and dehumanized.
So what does that have to do with appropriation now? We still see Black and African fashions stolen from Black people and applauded on white people. For example, cornrows are considered by some employers to be “unprofessional”, but a Kardashian can sport them with little to no repercussions. Brands like Stella McCartney utilize “tribal” prints and patterns on their runways, but the purchase of these garments will not directly benefit the people who created or inspired them. The Ankara prints used in her 2017 collection did not directly benefit any of the African people who made those prints popular. The pieces debuted with price tags ranging from $1500-$3000.
So what about Black people who straighten their hair to fit into Western beauty standards? This is called cultural assimilation, not appropriation. It is where the minority group attempts to blend in or participate in the cultural norms of the majority group as a survival tactic. As mentioned above, some employers see cornrows, locs or afro hairstyles as “unprofessional” in the workplace. In order to maintain gainful employment, many Black women conform to white standards of beauty that are often painful and expensive to achieve. Considering the fact that the Supreme Court even ruled that these employers can discriminate against natural and protective Black hairstyles, it is not only common that Black people assimilate, it is encouraged.
The good news is, there’s actually a lot white people can do to avoid cultural appropriation! When Halloween rolls around next year, avoid appropriating a culture by picking a specific person to dress up as and not an entire group of people. Leave the face paint at home, as it is never ok to change your skin tone for a costume. Also, cut off those dread locs you’ve been growing out since you went to Burning Man in ’08. Question your employer on why protective and natural hairstyles aren’t allowed, and request that they change their policies. Stand up for your coworker if he or she is told their hairstyle is unprofessional, and DO NOT touch their hair in the process (that’s a microaggression). Got more ideas for combatting cultural appropriation? Drop them in the comments and let’s continue this conversation.
I’m looking forward to part 3! The section describing the difference between appropriation vs assimilation was explained very well. Thank you!
I’m glad you could take something away from this!
Thank you for doing this work! I loved hearing about appropriation vs assimilation!
Thanks for following the series Melissa! I appreciate you.
As thought provoking as your first piece. I do have a question though – what’s the difference between inspiration and appropriation? And do you consider the intention behind each? Imitation as a form of flattery, a respect for something that is beautiful but is not from one’s own culture? Is the difference based upon where in the hierarchy of race, class, gender you fall? I agree with what you’ve written but I feel like there is a nuance that I am grappling with and thought I’d share.
I think intention is important, but it never beats impact. I really think it all boils down to that. Is what you’re doing impacting others in a hurtful way (ie a white person is told by black people that their dreadlock hairstyle is hurtful vs. a white person being asked to wear a sari in a traditional Indian wedding for a friend)? One instance might be welcomed because the impact is not hurtful. Ultimately, I default to how BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) are impacted by an action vs what my intent was.