Essay written in English about cultural appropriation in the style of a blog post. Essay argues that cultural appropriation is a bad thing. Appreciated as very good by the teacher.
“Doesn’t this costume look cool?” -
Halloween and cultural appropriation
Yesterday, I was walking down 5th Avenue in
Manhattan when I was two white teenage girls, one
dressed in Chinese traditional attire and the other
one was apparently a Geisha. They were taking
selfies, puckering their lips and lip syncing to a
Tiktok sound. Honestly, they looked out of place
with all those zombies and witches all around them.
May people would call this act cultural
appropriation”. This term refers to the act of taking
element from other cultures, use it as one’s own
without knowledge or respect of their cultural
significance. As an Asian American, I am deeply
offended. In the following, I will tell you why.
First and foremost, taking cultural elements with
meaning and using them as a costume is really
hurtful. In this case, Geishas are well trained
entertainer in the Japanese culture and are highly
respected. For the people of the culture, it’s the
things that they respect and which are part of their
cultural tradition being reduced to just a look, for
kids on Halloween to have a bit of fun”. How would
you feel if that was done to your culture?
Even though
Asian communities hadn’t been as strongly
oppressed as Black communities, they still faced
struggles being a minority in the US. Growing up in
the states. I have had kids pulling back their eyes
and mock my clothes on Chinese New Year, So
having white people doing the same ting but being
praised for it I very hurtful. This all boils down to
the enforcement of the power imbalance within the
different groups. Ultimately, cultural appropriation
done by white people further perpetuate the
discrimination minorities face in western countries.
All in all, I’m in no way saying that you can’t wear
a Kimono or a Qibao, but if you intend to just wear
it for the “silly look”, I will suggest you to discard
that idea, because doing it without paying respect to
the respective culture can really be hurtful and
offensive.
Have you encountered cultural appropriation? Or
maybe you don’t see it as problem at all. Feel free
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