Unveiling Cultural Appropriation: A Personal Reflection

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When I was 12 I dressed up as a gypsy; traditional dress, dark eyeshadow, rosy pink cheeks, black eyeliner, and gold jewelry everywhere. Naively my intention was to wear a costume that was fun to wear and also made me feel as free as a “wanderlust gypsy”. It was only years later that I came to realize how little I knew about the hardships my costume really represented. Gypsies were not filled with a great desire to travel rather they had no choice but to move in attempts to flee for their lives. I was representing nothing but a bedazzled form of disregard to the appropriating culture. People think cultural appropriation is harmless but in fact it is deeply disrespectful. The difference between the appreciation of a culture and the appropriation …show more content…

African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians generally tend to surface as the groups targeted for cultural appropriation. There is no fault in familiarizing oneself with various cultures and adopting different aspects as long as it is done with a respectable and perceptive understanding the culture deserves. With that being said, when members of a dominant group assume the traditional apparel of a minority group for a Halloween party, a musical performance, or for the sake of fashion, they now diminish the cultural ties behind the roots of such apparels and the defiance of those who originated the culture face in the Western …show more content…

Cultural Appropriation is not only undeniable but also unavoidable in a mixing bowl society. Yet, though one cannot help but be intrigued by other cultures, it is important for one to realize that when one “borrows” cultural aspects without proper representation and/or permission is not a form of appreciation but rather appropriation. For this reason, it is not only suggested but required for people in a mixing bowl society to learn the difference between borrowing and taking. Just as you would want your image to be respected and properly acknowledge, one must make it a personal duty to never for this reason misrepresent or disregard another’s

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