Coachella, a Californian music festival that plays host to celebrities and music lovers, marks the beginning of festival season. Teens’ Instagram feeds are blowing up with the latest festival fashion trends set by the Coachella masses. It is one trend in particular, however, that seems to be a constant in festival fashion: cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation is the theft or adoption of icons, rituals, esthetic standards and behaviour from one culture or sub-culture by another – usually the dominant culture. This can recently be seen in the wearing of indigenous headdresses, and bindis (forehead jewels) as fashion accessories on the heads of celebrities and frat boys’ alike – whether it be a music festival or local theme party.
The defence of appropriation is usually something along the lines of, “I was just trying to honour their culture.” This is based on the misconception that races are equal. Systemic racism and oppression, however, still exist and affect people today. Despite the fact that people of colour are being imprisoned, evicted and murdered at atrocious rates, the media tries to convince us that North America is racially just.
Capitalism, however, has turned people of colour and indigenous peoples’ culture – particularly their dress and beauty standards – into a form of currency that in no way benefits the group from which they were stolen. Cultural appropriation usually occurs when the appropriators are unaware of the original cultural and/or religious significance of a piece of clothing, jewelry, hairstyle or behaviour. For example, headdresses, depending on the indigenous group, are earned in battle. Would you wear a medal of honour you had not earned?
A byproduct of colonialism and assimilation, cultural appropriation makes the objects and traditions of a culture seem edgy and desirable but not the people that the traditions stem from. As much as young girls may want to look like the next Kendall Jenner or Selena Gomez, it is important to step back and look at the larger affect of a young celebrity’s actions. By appropriating, young celebrities are setting a standard for their millions of Instagram and Twitter followers on the latest trends. Not only is appropriation simply disrespectful; it is an extension of racism.
Having considered their fashion choices a form of personal expression, some may feel unfairly targeted for simply dressing and acting in a way that feels comfortable. That being said, there are some important questions we must ask ourselves if we wish to honour another culture, and confront the systemic racism still present today: Is it an accurate representation? Does this perpetuate inaccurate stereotypes? Is it sacred? Who is labouring and who is profiting? And, is it a historically discriminated group?
We are blessed to live in a country that celebrates diversity but there are many steps we can take to rid our nation of racism and oppression. The Bass Coast Electronic Music Festival in B.C. banned the wearing of native headdresses and held workshops in which attendees were educated on issues such as cultural appropriation. This is a type of racism that people, on an individual level, can recognize and interrupt.
Jennifer Hamilton is a local student and aspiring writer.
