Does cultural appropriation exist? (Discussion)

[itsjenn_a]

The definition:

@itsjenn_a

Cultural appropriation is plagiarism. It’s when someone who is A takes something from B (let’s call it “B culture”) and renames it or makes it more palatable for an audience mostly made up of A people. 99% of the time, the A person is profiting off of B culture whilst B people still face discrimination for it.

Cultural appreciation is learning. It’s when someone is A learns about something from B culture. Either someone who is B taught them or the A person took time to learn the history of the thing. I say this because when people say “cultural appropriation is good” they mean cultural appreciation.

How this applies to black cultural hairstyles and textured hair as an example:

1. Why black cultural hairstyles are not/never “just hair”:

@itsjenn_a

It was made to help kinky/textured hairstyles increase in length and also reduce dryness because if I were to have afro puffs, I’d need to braid it each night as my hair would lose moisture throughout the day. It’s not “just hair”.

2. Why hair straightening is not CA:

@itsjenn_a

This is not the same thing. This is assimilation.

Historically, B culture has been considered the “other”. A culture has been considered the norm.

To cut to the chase, black women and girls having weaves is not the same as non-black women and girls having braids. For centuries, textured hair has been considered the “other” so black women and girls have had to manipulate it for a looser curl pattern so they can be “acceptable” e.g. Tignon laws, the term “nappy”, the term “good hair”, the black women and girls who’ve been fired and reprimanded for having “inappropriate hairstyles” and the abundance of hair straightening products that have been advertised for decades.

B takes part in A culture because they need it to be “acceptable”. A takes part in B culture because it’s fun. B can’t drop A culture because it’s “the norm”. A can drop B culture because it’s “not fun anymore”.

3.a. Why talking about CA is not/never been about banning people from participating in marginalised groups’ cultures:

@itsjenn_a

So we’re banning A from taking things from B?!”
No. Telling someone to be careful of something is not telling them not to do it. ~The bigger picture please.~

@itsjenn_a

B takes part in A culture because they need it to be “acceptable”. A takes part in B culture because it’s fun. B can’t drop A culture because it’s “the norm”. A can drop B culture because it’s “not fun anymore”.

EDIT: 08/01/2020: B needs A, A doesn’t need B. Even if this theoretical ban did happen, A wouldn’t lose out because they’re already “normal”

3.b. My personal opinion:

@itsjenn_a

Well I can’t ban non-black people from wearing box braids but I wouldn’t recommend wearing protective hairstyles if you don’t have textured hair. It’s called a protective style for a reason. It was made to help kinky/textured hairstyles increase in length and also reduce dryness

EDIT 08/01/2020: Box braids on straight hair can actually damage your scalp and cause traction alopecia so there’s that risk as well

4. Why black women or any other marginalised group may choose not to engage in cultural exchanges:

@itsjenn_a

“Why can’t B just teach A? Problem solved!” For some reason I used a cake analogy so just roll with it
B teaching A is great! But again, the difference. B can choose to share their cake with A if they want, but a long time ago, let’s say 400 years, it was common practice for A people to steal cake from B people. Nowadays, some A people make fun of some B people because they bake a certain way so it makes sense why B isn’t eager to share recipes. Does this excuse B being rude about it? No, but it isn’t B’s job to teach everyone how to bake.

EDIT 08/01/2020: Especially if B applies to black women, B’s rudeness/anger has historically been labeled as aggressive, dangerous and even criminal. What you see as anger could just be B’s emotion (which they are entitled to RE: 2. Why hair straightening is not CA). It would be a lot more productive to understand B’s anger than to invalidate it, which is something that is common amongst race/culture discussions for when B is the minority and there are little to no allies present.