Topic > Cultural Appropriation in America

According to the Oxford Dictionaries, cultural appropriation is the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, or ideas of one people or society by members of another people or typically more dominant society. Cultural appropriation has been a huge and controversial topic, especially in reasonable times, prompting individuals like Amandla Stenberg to express it by saying, “When you appropriate Black characteristics and culture but fail to use your position of power to help black Americans by directing attention to your wigs instead of police brutality or racism #whitegirlsdoitbetter. regarding a post by Kylie Jenner from a few months ago. In today's society, we have witnessed the use and abuse of aspects of black culture without giving credit to the culture it came into to benefit white people. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Cultural appropriation is not something that has just begun. It had existed for many years and it all started with jealousy. In the early 1700s white women often wore what was called a bustle to accentuate their figures for the simple fact that the full-figured lower half was always an attractive figure on a woman; that is except when it came to black women. At the time, black women with “abnormally” large buttocks like Sarah Baartman were seen as freaks of nature and were put on display for the amusement of white people. White women were jealous of Baartman's naturally curvy figure and she was ridiculed and speculated about for this. As this jealousy manifested itself, white women began to embrace the big butt look. In recent times they have opted for surgery to get that nice round shape of their buttocks. Cultural appropriation can be seen in all types of media, with magazines and Instagram being the most common. Months ago on Instagram Kylie Jenner posted a photo of herself with a new hairstyle; this photo eventually blew up with the name of the hairstyle she wore as Boxer braids. As an African American woman, I understand that this type of hairstyle has been around for many years and is nothing new. These “Boxer braids” actually date back to ancient Africa and are called cornrows or simply braids. Now, while Kylie may not have claimed that these braids were her creation, she didn't give credit to the African culture where "boxer braids" originated from. Of course, we all know that she didn't create this hairstyle, but as I've said before, this hairstyle is something that has been around for many years and hasn't received as much praise as it did before Kylie Jenner decided to wear these so-called, "braised boxer shorts." Country music idol Taylor Swift also plays with the idea of ​​cultural appropriation. In the video for the song Wildest Dreams he tries to portray African life and culture through the use of an all-white cast. This has undermined the lives of black men and women who are the majority in Africa. This all-white cast romanticized colonialism in an African country, meaning they tried to convey colonialism as a great thing despite its true meaning. The truth is that he presented “African” culture in a way that took out the heart and soul of Africa to benefit him, even though he knew little about the culture itself. The Kardashians have been known to adopt elements of other cultures, more specifically black culture, into their works and have taken credit for things that black people have done or known about for years. For example, Kim Kardashian is known for her unnaturally obtained voluptuous buttocks and curves and "created" the.