Even today you can find cultural appropriation in our modern music. M and M is a famous, white male rapper, Justin Timberlake who sings rhythm and blues, and Katy Perry are just a few celebrities who have been criticized for stealing music, and clothing from the black culture. M and M is known across the United States, as one of the best rappers. Rap and hip hop is one of things that defines black culture, yeta white male is considered one of the best. Before rap grew into one of the top selling music genres, many people hated it. They claimed it was not a true talent and would amount to anything.
Katy Perry has been criticized on a numerous amount of occasions for stealing from other races. One song that has caused major issues was her song titled “This is how we do” Throughout the video Katy Perry changes into many different outfits, but one rubs the public the wrong way. Perry is shown holding a fake watermelon, “baby hairs” and her hair is done in five, thick straight back french braids. The use of this costume clearly was portraying a black women. Black women use to get so much backlash for wearing their hair and dressing the way she did in her video.
Yet Elle magazine deemed her the creator of baby hairs. “At a time when black children are being disciplined by schools for wearing their natural in afros” (Macleans). For years black women have struggled with acceptance of their hair. They have been criticized since the beginning. Curly afros were considered nappy, and untamed. Braids were unprofessional, and any type of weave was looked down upon. Two females who worked at different jobs in Toronto were both sent home because, one had box braids and another wore their hair up in a bun. Only when a black woman straightens their hair are they inally accepted and even then whites claimed that black women were appropriating, forgetting the fact that some just have naturally straight hair. Those same hairstyles that were looked down upon or got women sent home from their jobs were all the rage in 2016 and still are today in 2017. Teen Vogue, Allure’s, and Elle’s magazines are just a few of the magazines that have been “discovering” the new hairstyles. In 2015 many white people were receiving praise for the same hairstyles colored people were looked down upon for wearing (Finley 1).
Senegalese twist have been around ages. They are used by black women to protect their hair from heat damage. They are long pieces of hair that are twisted into your real hair. You can keep them in your hair for about 2 months, or longer depending on the condition they are in. You can wash the twists, wear them up in buns, and pony tails, or wear it down. In 2015 vogue magazine used a white model for a senegalese segment. Many people were outraged and upset that they interviewed a white teen when they were talking about an african hairstyle.
An anonymous critic sent a message to teen vogue saying”seriously not buying @teenvoguge again. I’m so insulted by this! You interview a white girl about african hairstyles. ” By interviewing a white teen instead of an african american it shows how white people tried to take something from from a less dominant group and claim it as their own. They did not give any credit to africans at all. Teen Vogue also tried to use Kylie Jenner to set the dread wearing trend. She was on the cover of the magazine with faux dreads.
The article called her edgy, raw, and beautiful. But when Zendaya, a minority had the same hairstyle fashion police said “she looked like she smelled of patchouli oil or weed” (Finley 3). Dreadlocks originated in India, worn by their dreadlocked deity Shiva. There is also evidence that shows Egyptians were the first people to actually wear dreads, mummies were discovered with dreadlocks still intact. One of Allure’s August issues caught a lot of heat when viewers read the segment on “How to get a curly fro! ” The article gave nstructions on how white women could successfully achieve an afro. The featuring image was a white women with a curly afro, which caused many people to unsubscribe. Most of the comments that was said were people talking about how they were not upset that white women wanted a fro they did not give black women the credit. Others were upset that white women would dare and wear an afro when afros were looked down upon in the past, and still somewhat is today. Afros are apart of the african american culture and identity.
Back then, and even today women get criticized for wearing their natural hair out. In fact black women began to straighten their hair in order to feel accepted by the society. Fortunately the hairstyle survived and is still worn proudly today. Bantu Knots is a hairstyle that originated in southern Africa in the Zully tribes over 100 years ago. You can wear bantu knots twisted or untwisted and wear them a curly, springy, afro. Minorities have been wearing their hair in the knots for quite some time, but even then not that many people could be found wearing them.
Only when a character from Orange is the new Black named Crazy Eyes was shown wearing them did the trend began. Soon after “Summer Heatless Curls” and the name “Twisted Mini Buns” began replacing Bantu Knots. Marc Jacobs was said to be the creator of the “Twisted Mini Buns” after a couple of modes were photographed walking down the runway wearing the bantu knots in a mohawk style. A video titled “Summer heatless Curls” showed white women how to get the curly bantu effect. Many people were outraged for more than one reason, one anonymous critic said (white women are always stealing from us. They renamed a hairstyle that has been apart of the african culture for decades. Soon after the instructor of the video apologized claiming she had never heard of bantu knot and was not trying to steal anything from the black culture. Whether she was telling the truth or not, we are allowing the more dominant races to take cultural aspects from the underrepresented. Minorities could be wearing a hairstyle for years and not get any recognition, but as soon as the more dominant race figures out how to do it themselves, it becomes the new hairstyle that everyone must try.
They are not only offering anything in return, but expecting gratitude and recognition for their “achievement” In The Bluest Eye written by Toni B. Morrison, little Pecola is described as an unattractive, dark skinned girl. Throughout the entire book Frieda and Claudia , two other main characters, who become friends with Pecola, are always comparing themselves to white girls. They talk about how beautiful and smooth their skin is, but what really make the white girls so beautiful are their bright blue eyes. Pecola wanted nothing more than to feel and be beautiful so she wishes for blue eyes, and in her mind she gets them. Pecola wanted blue eyes only because she felt they would make her pretty” (Morrison 195). Another form of cultural appropriation is when another race tries to take the physical attributes of another race. Pecola in stole from the white race when she took something that defines them away, and used them for herself. Body image is something that almost every woman cares about. Are they too big, too small, what is the perfect size? On television, in magazines, and in games, all you see are slender fair skinned women.
They were not curvey, because that meant you overweight, their bottoms were not very plump because that also made you look fat. The women being shared on social media had thin lips, and very pale skin. That is until stars like the Kardashians started using plastic surgery, to get fuller lips, curvy waist and plump bottoms, and also using tanning beds to get darker. Soon they were known for the full lips and thick bodies, and bronze skin when before black women who were built that way were always considered overweight or not beautiful.
How can someone who is built and looks almost be the same be better looking than another race? Soon many people began to copy what their stars were doing to get the nice thick body that they believed the Kardashians created. Have you ever heard of the Kylie Jenner lip challenge? For a while a many people were sticking their lips in water, and soda bottles, to make their lips swell to get full, plump lips like Kylie. She is known for the full lip trend that has been going on for about a couple of years, something that black women and other minorities have naturally. She even
