By: Elise Feider
Bumbershoot was a great weekend – filled with music, food, and entertainment, but this is not an article about the festival. However, what I wore to Bumbershoot was the inspiration of this article.
Looking back at my photos, I am drawn to the ones in which I am wearing a pink gem stone on my forehead. The gemstone was meant to look something like a bindi dot. My friend’s mother had bought them for the concert and needless to say we weren’t the only ones wearing them. The bindi dot craze has been sported and popularized by the likes of Gwen Stefani, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, and more famously Grimes.
But, as I sit here in my Native American styled moccasins, which cover my henna covered feet, I wonder to what extent cultural appropriation is okay. Or, is cultural appropriation even okay..?
Cultural appropriation is the act of embracement, or depending on how one looks at it, taking over of distinct elements of other cultures. Susan Scafidi, Fordham’s University Law professor, defines it as “taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else’s culture without permission.” Essentially, accultural commoditization. This includes bindi dots, but also “tribal” clothes, and arguably even the good old cross necklace (looking at you Madonna).
In the midst of a growing global community, one might wonder what the real problem is. From my casual high school standpoint, I would say yeah, the bindi is cool, its hipster. Yeah it’s also neat that they were worn by Indian women. Cue the shrug. *shrugs* But, am I appropriating or appreciating their culture? It’s a fine line. The issue with cultural appropriation is that it tends to further oppress how minorities are viewed by mainstream America. Our tendency to produce and buy into “Navajo” flasks and wear “Indian Princess” costumes is somewhat disturbing. Do we reduce the Native Americans of this country to no more than a Halloween costume? It is certainly something to think about with Halloween just one month away.
Having discussed cultural appropriation with some of my friends, the funniest reaction I received was, “What will be next? Are Asians not allowed to eat lasagna?” Speaking to the whites, or really anyone who belongs to the Western Anglo culture, my answer is “no.” The fact that stealing from minorities is wrong and stealing from Westerners is not considered wrong may sound one sided, but remember, the world is one sided. I.e: the Western Anglo culture already reigns supreme. We have colonized, imperialized, and sanitized every culture across the globe.
Admittedly, and perhaps hypocritically, I am not ready to get rid of my moccasins quite yet. However, Scafidi offers some helpful advice on how to navigate cultural appropriation, “consider the 3 S’s: source, significance (or sacredness), and similarity. Has the source community either tacitly or directly invited you to share this particular bit of its culture, and does the community as a whole have a history of harmful exploitation? What’s the cultural significance of the item — is it just an everyday object or image, or is it a religious artifact that requires greater respect? And how similar is the appropriated element to the original — a literal knockoff, or just a nod to a color scheme or silhouette?”
I will be keeping these things in mind the next time I peruse Urban Outfitters.
