Introduction
What does it mean to appropriate a culture? Is it wrong? Does it deem unethical even though it can be seen to express one’s creative side? To gain an initial understanding of the term cultural appropriation from a wide lens, it is critical to recognize what the term refers to and what role it plays in society. First, “culture can be defined as the beliefs, ideas, traditions, speech, and material objects associated with a particular group of people”, while appropriation refers to the “unfair or unjust taking of something that doesn’t belong to you”. As to the role in which it exists in our society, cultural appropriation exploits marginalized communities and can be looked at as a form of racism from certain standpoints. Over the years, the term cultural appropriation has widened and has become associated with many different fields, some including dance, food, religious symbols, intellectual property, music, and fashion. Music, in particular, has received much attention concerning cultural appropriation due to the use of taking “non-western and nonwhite genres that carry connotations of dominance and exploitation”. Time after time, the entertainment industry continues to be scrutinized for appropriating black culture with a negative connotation. Thus, in most instances when it comes to music and appropriation the issue arises when these cultural notions get taken without demonstrating a proper understanding of the historically significant elements that belong to that culture. Specifically, in terms of fashion, cultural appropriation in the industry has drastically increased. Here, we must ponder the idea of what we believe to be the difference between appropriation and influence, in which the social expectations set are the determinating factor as to whether something is considered culturally appropriate or not. While fashion has always been seen as a way to express oneself, a line must be drawn to depict the difference between what it means to appropriate and appreciate. Fashion can reflect culture without reflecting cultural appropriation, hence I argue that the line between these two terms is the idea and act of self-expression and giving credit/acknowledgment where it is due.
History of Cultural Appropriation in Fashion
From the very beginning, fashion has always been a way for people to express themselves in a creative and unique way. Initially, fashion sought out to reflect social class and identity but has now slowly transformed to emulate a type of self-confidence. Yet when going back to fashions history, the association between cultural appropriation and fashion first stemmed from long ago. From the colonial era when colonies struggled to gain independence, to the last half of the twentieth century, cultural appropriation continues to exist. Throughout the colonial era, cultural appropriation became relevant in terms of the taking of cultural traditions and artifacts from indigenous cultures. This taking eventually moved to other cultural aspects, in this case, clothing and fashion. In the early 1900s designers began to incorporate elements from many different cultures into their clothing. Collections surrounding oriental, Egyptian, and Germanic styles increased which led to the idea of exoticism being known as the essence and epitome of style. Designers craved new ideas and with that, a drive for constant change was desired. According to the fashion historian Pamela Goblin, “the search for novelty has always driven fashion’s changes whether the adoption of the Spanish farthingale at court in mid-16th- century England, the adaption of 17th-century French floral embroidery motifs on Native American beadwork moccasins, or the vogue for wearing Turkish dress at masquerades and in portraiture in the 18th century”. In terms of the industry, its importance resided in the production of new developments where inspiration solely came from the uniqueness of cultures and their known events that displayed these garments in the past. In addition, the origins of material products and fabrics all came from different countries such as India, where workers’ crafts skills gave them the ability to produce certain types of textiles like cloth. From this, cultural appropriation rose because certain cultures, for example, Europeans would use Indian workers’ artistry to develop products without giving acknowledgment to the fact that these garments and craftsmanship derived from India. Hence, it is apparent that cultural appropriation first struck in the past in which the fashion industry moved with a lack of interest towards the cultures and communities they started to embody, catalyzing an imbalance of power.
Regarding the history of cultural appropriation in the past, there are many more examples that demonstrate its existence, yet also inspiration. For example, in the eighteenth century, Kashmir shawls were the latest fad that featured what seemed to be pinecones. As these shawls and designs originated from China, the middle east, and India, they shortly revolutionized into what is known as paisley print due to it being reproduced in Scotland. Similarly, although plaid design originated in South India, through exportation the design was adopted by other cultures and soon became the essence of “ivy league style” in America. Moreover, dating back to the nineteenth century, exoticism played a major role in the fashion industry. Designers sought inspiration from Japanese influences and looked at kimonos for an incentive to create their pants, gowns, and coats. When discussing what could be seen as a form of appreciation, in 1998, Madelaine Vionnet, a French fashion designer organized an exhibition titled “Touche d’Exotisme” that displayed “ethnic trends”. As previously mentioned, when Goblin was asked about the exhibition in terms of culture, she explained that the designers were interested in learning about these other cultures as they were looking for inspiration. She describes how the ultimate goal of fashion is not about shaming but showcasing beauty in new and different ways. Likewise, in the 1960s and 70s, Saint Laurent dropped his “Bambara” collection that was built upon the complexity of the native dress in Mali. Again, Goblin goes on to clarify how Saint Laurent was an individual belonging to the French colonial classes of Algeria, inferring that he would not recognize his work as offensive seeing as how he was a member of that class. Although Vionnet and Laurent had no mal intention when seeking inspiration from these cultures, the mistake comes from not attributing full credit openly when releasing their fashion products. If designers present their collection with consideration towards a culture’s significance, the association with appropriation would be disregarded. Obtaining inspiration from other cultures can open people’s eyes and allow the world to learn more about other countries if it is done with appreciation. After understanding the historic side of cultural appropriation in the fashion industry, it is also critical to comprehend how this issue still exists and has increased in modern-day society.
Modern Day Cultural Appropriation in Fashion
In the last twenty years, cultural appropriation in the fashion industry has dramatically increased and has received a considerable amount of attention and scrutinization from the media. Runway models for designer brands, top fashion magazines, celebrities, and holidays such as Halloween, have taken a hit when it comes to the topic of cultural appropriation. Elements like clothes, hats, accessories, and hair are all attributed to what is known as fashion while also being inherently associated with an identity of a certain culture which deems to be problematic. There are many reports and cases that exist to support this notion when it comes to the fashion industry. For example, in 2012 Karlie Kloss a Victoria Secret model, walked down the runway wearing a Native American headdress. From a cultural standpoint, Native Americans view the headdress as a sign of respect and honor only worn by chiefs. Kloss received backlash right away in which spectators criticized the idea of wearing the headdress to model lingerie. Similarly, in 2019, Gucci was accused of racism due to selling a balaclava that had the ability to cover one’s whole face with a mouth opening. As the product resembled what looked to be like blackface, Gucci was reprimanded for racism, which forced them to remove and stop further production of the product. Moreover, during Gucci’s Milan fashion show, models walked down the runway with Sikh turbans on their heads, Marc Jacobs promoted a campaign that involved white models wearing dreadlocks, and Jean-Paul Gautier devoted one of his collections to Andean cultures in which he reimagined a new form of sombrero and mariachi pants. To further the point of brands contributing to cultural appropriation, in 2007 Christian Dior models presented Geisha makeup on the runway. When Vogue advertised the fashion show in their magazine, they described the collection as “the diorification of Japanese fashion items” in which it is clear they aimed to westernize the traditional product that came from another culture. Throughout these examples, it is quite clear that initially, these brands failed to acknowledge the culture at hand that they took inspiration from. Whilst these models and brands came out with apologies after receiving criticism, the problem sparked because they provided no real understanding of the culture and its traditions at hand. The misuse of these cultural symbols then advances the idea of cultural appropriation in fashion rather than reflecting appreciation and giving credit to the origin.
Not only have designer brands and models been denounced for being involved in cultural appropriation, but magazines, celebrities, clothing brands, and holidays continue to be involved as well. A recent study by Elon University on cultural appropriation in American magazines in terms of hairstyles found that both Cosmopolitan Magazine and Essence Magazine characterized cornrows on a non-person of color in a demeaning way. The issue sprung from both magazines failing to bring attention to the person wearing the cornrows, which took away the cultural understanding of it all. Additionally, when Vogue Magazine wrote a description of Solange Knowles’s performance on “Saturday Night Live” as she exhibited cornrows, instead of bringing attention to Solange’s hair, the magazine admired her glamorous dress and headpiece. As these magazines initially focused on influencers and their cornrows in a surface-level way, the study found that the magazines transformed their focus onto cornrows and the significance of appropriation. Further, while vogue initially neglected to form their articles around the topic of cornrows, they visually transformed their portrayals of race and brought light to the people of color wearing them. Again, although these magazines later changed their initial thoughts on how they presented cornrows, they failed to recognize the importance of its cultural importance.
Now, when it comes to the topic of celebrities and appropriation in the fashion world, many of these stars have exhibited and attributed to cultural appropriation. For one, in 2019 Kim Kardashian West launched her shapewear line titled “Kimono”. Almost immediately after dropping her brand, West received an increasing amount of hate for appropriating Japanese culture and being insensitive towards Japanese history in consideration of the second world war. As West originally gave no credit to the taking of the name “Kimono”, she came out with an apology addressing that she meant no harm and had no intention of removing the symbolism of the traditional Kimono in her brand. However, West decided to change the name only after she received a letter sent by the Mayor of Kyoto. If West attempted to share that she was interested in the history of the kimono, it would have displayed a better sense of understanding of the appreciation that should have been shown in the first place. Similarly, singer Kacey Musgraves was criticized in 2019 for wearing the top part to a two-piece traditional Vietnamese clothing set at her concert. As she displayed herself in a skimpier version of the set, Vietnamese people became enraged due to Musgraves sexualizing an outfit that was traditionally and culturally displayed to be seen as respected. In addition to wearing Vietnamese clothing, Musgraves further contributed to cultural appropriation by wearing a headpiece that resembled Indian bridal jewelry. Although unintentional, Musgraves degraded the original meaning of the clothing set and continued to not speak out until days later. On the other hand, as Musgraves never addressed her exploitation of two non-white cultures, this unveiled her disinterest in being educated about the true meanings of the traditional fashion she chose to wear. Musgraves is not the only musical artist to be condemned for participating in the act of cultural appropriation. As white artists such as Katy Perry, Iggy Azalea, and Justin Bieber to name a few, present themselves in clothing, makeup, and accessories from other cultures, it becomes clear that cultural appropriation in fashion has a link to other fields as previously explained above. As these popular celebrities possess major platforms, the misuse of other cultures could further influence people to believe that is what is in style.
As further evidence, fast fashion brands and holidays such as Halloween have had an involvement with cultural appropriation. In 2018, H&M publicized an adolescent boy wearing a hoodie that stated, “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle”. Protests immediately broke out and many celebrities decided to stop all collaborations in accordance with the brand. Likewise, when Zara produced a checkered patterned skirt that resembled a traditional Indian sarong, several people became infuriated with the stealing of traditional clothing, in terms of the brand trying to provide a new and innovative look. It is critical for these brands to understand how representations work and learn how to properly express and promote other cultures without undermining and offending the people at hand. To realize the difference between creativity/self-expression and acknowledgment is to fully comprehend the traditions of cultures before using them. Similarly, and in recent years, holidays like Halloween have been held accountable for using culture as a costume. For example, Native Americans, belly dancers, and Geishas are all cultures/cultural traditions in which people attempt to re-create into costumes for the national holiday. These interpretations can deem offensive to the cultures because they can be seen as mockery by associating the tradition with a costume. As explained above, a line exists between appropriation and appreciation and this line subsides on the difference between expressing uniqueness and creativity and providing a genuine understanding of a culture’s history, in addition to awarding credit.
Cancel Culture Awareness and Credit Given
In this day and age, when something such as a brand, or someone such as a celebrity participates in what society presumes to be socially unacceptable, cancel culture comes into the picture. Cancel culture tends to occur when a public figure of some sort does or announces something that is offensive and distasteful, while the goal aims to end the public platform. From all the examples I explored and analyzed above, it is clear how spectators were quick to attack brands, magazines, and celebrities. While some people have the ability to take inspiration from other cultures with mal intentions, we cannot equate everyone in the fashion industry to be the same. The problem with cultural appropriation arises when the reproduction of a cultural tradition is established on an offensive stereotype, which equates to racism. Teleica Kirkland, a lecturer in cultural and historical studies at the London College of Fashion explains how most aspects of social and cultural life are the blend of “cross-cultural exchange and hybridity”. Thus, since all parts of life only occur due to the combination of other cultures, if fashion choices are chosen with awareness and understanding, it shows unnecessary to attempt to cancel someone. Nowadays, the reason cancel culture continues to exist is because non-white millennials and non-white people who belong to Gen Z do not see themselves adequately represented in the media. Therefore, when they see a public figure or designer put out a collection that takes traditional garments from their culture and displays them on non-people of color, the offense is taken. Even though some celebrities like Rihanna, Naomi Campbell, and Tyra Banks have all worn traditional fashion from other cultures in the correct way while also giving credit, most brands, magazines, and celebrities have not. Without discussion and proper representation, cultures will continue to feel disrespected. However, that is not to say canceling is the answer. It is important to appropriately educate, communicate, and exchange critical thoughts and information about different cultures because this can further enable conscious knowledge and understanding while being able to decipher between the idea of self-expression and acknowledgment.
Conclusion:
In consideration of the fashion industry, self-expression and credit can both exist simultaneously as long as people proceed with caution and interest in the culture they are trying to reproduce. While appropriation first began centuries ago as designers sought inspiration from historical fashion trends, the social implications have continued to exist in the modern-day. Models, fashion brands, fashion magazines and more, continue to face criticism and hate for attempting to rebrand and duplicate other cultures’ fashion traditions. Moreover, holidays such as Halloween have been known to be associated with cultural appropriation due to the wearing of culture as a costume. From this, cultural appropriation has played a significant role in being one of the catalysts for cancel culture. Yet, for people to interpret the difference between self-expression and acknowledgment to decipher what it means to appropriate and appreciate culture, they must understand and learn the right and wrongs. Instead of educating, cancel culture further ostracizes, which does nothing but mislead and abandon the people who have the potential to recognize how fashion can reflect culture without reflecting cultural appropriation. Ultimately, by understanding the line between appropriation and appreciation as the difference between what it means to self-express and deliver credit/acknowledgment where it is due, the world will be able to benefit and advance from this social and cultural issue.
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