Cultural Appreciation & Appropriation in Disguise

By ROXANE PARK ‘25

October 31. It’s the one day that Exeter students, along with the almost two-thirds of the population of the United States who celebrate Halloween, are able to become anyone, anything, besides themselves. Take a stroll and you’ll come across a couple dozen Spider-mans and witches, the usual angel-devil pairs, and perhaps this year a record number of Barbies and Kens. But there is often also a kind of competition to find a unique concept, to be funny or bold. Beyond Exeter, many have chosen to depict other cultures or identities as their costume: overly primitive natives, mustached and sombrero-wielding Mexicans, sexualized nuns, anything involving blackface, even Jesus. Instructors and advisors at the Academy advise students to “be tasteful and respectful of other students, staff, and faculty,” but what does this really mean?

To answer this question, we must expand this into a discussion on how to distinguish between engaging in cultural appreciation and committing cultural appropriation, not just in the context of costumes and appearances, but in the broader scope of the world’s creative stages. 

First, it seems necessary to define the meaning of the word “culture.” If we look simply at the succinct pages of Merriam-Webster, we would find that it is “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group.” But in a world where borders have been blurred and redrawn, where humans have colonized and migrated, and where traditions have been shared and adopted for centuries, it becomes difficult to prescribe certain traditions and beliefs to a singular group. The human condition is defined by communication, exchange, and adoption. For example, the common symbols for numbers we use today hold their origins in the Arabian peninsula; white weddings began in fifteenth-century Great Britain with Queen Victoria; birthday cakes and candles were first recorded in Middle Age German children’s Kinderfests; and various other common dishes, technology, religions, and fashions all trace back to distinct sources.

How then can we distinguish between cultural appreciation and appropriation when culture itself is inherently ambiguous? What if we define culture not through beliefs, forms, or traits, but by experience?

In other words, we must ask ourselves four questions. First: Am I well informed about the history of the practice that I am adopting? Second: Is that historical connection marked by joy or by oppression? Third: Am I representing it in a way that is respectful or mocking? And finally: Are my motives in this adoption an effort to share or to claim?

If one can answer all four of these questions confidently and correctly, then they are most likely appreciating a culture. But if they are unsure of even one answer, or know that their answer would be incorrect, they are in danger of appropriation.

I. Are you well informed about the history of the practice that you are adopting?

In December of 2013, the clothing and retail store Urban Outfitters was slammed for releasing a pair of socks with an elephant pattern sewn onto the ankles (HuffPost). The only problem was that the elephant was actually a low-definition depiction of Ganesh, the celebrated Hindu god of beginnings who is believed to be the remover of obstacles with the power to grant success and protection in the face of adversity (Hindu American Foundation). In Hinduism, feet are considered unclean, the lowest form of a being, and even pointing your feet at another person is considered disrespectful, while the act of Charan Sparsh, touching the feet of elders, is a way of showing respect and seeking blessing (Detroit News). Thus, the image of Ganesh on the “UO Exclusive” socks, essentially placing the deity at the level of the wearer’s feet, was particularly disrespectful. This is just one example of the commercialization of religious images and symbols by corporations and individuals who are not properly informed of their significance. 

An example of the contrary emerges in the fashion industry, which has historically been known to “borrow” elements from other cultures without permission yet rarely features non-white models. This industry has also recently been shifting to honoring the creative genius of global cultures by including them in the process. For instance, fashion house Christian Dior’s Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri has dedicated her work to celebrating different cultures and traveling around the world to collaborate with local minds on her designs. For her recent Pre-Fall 2023 collection, Chiuru joined forces with the director of Mumbai’s Chanakya School of Craft and featured solely models of color, traditional Indian music, and ornate decorations. Similarly, she worked alongside Mexican artisans to create the 2024 Resort collection of inspired pieces, including huipils, that champion unique creative techniques from regions across Mexico (Vogue). Because Chiuri has devoted herself to learning the history of cultural designs and authentically employing them, her work is not appropriative, but appreciative.

II. Is that historical connection marked by joy or by oppression?

Often, however, it is not enough to merely be aware of the history behind a tradition. One of the most debated forms of cultural appropriation is the use of traditional Black hairstyles to appear “trendy,” all the way from Kim Kardashian wearing cornrows to the 2018 MTV Awards in New York City (Harper’s Bazaar) to K-pop star EXO’s Kai twisting his hair into faux dreadlocks in Korea (Digital Music News). While some have argued that celebrities should have the freedom to choose their appearance and that hairstyles can be shared, acknowledging the relationship between Black hair and America’s history of oppression offers a more nuanced view of this issue. From the eighteenth-century Tignon Laws that forced all enslaved and free Black women alike to wear tignon headscarves to cover their hair, to the norms of the twenty-first century, in which many have reported being denied jobs or discriminated against at work for their natural hair, the appearance of traditional white hairstyles has persisted as a symbol of status (JSTOR Daily). For centuries, Black women and men alike have been shamed for their natural hair and textured styles. Therefore, those who have not experienced this struggle disrespect its gravity when they choose to wear these styles on a whim. When the experience of a community with a certain tradition is characterized by discrimination, suffering, or other negative experiences, it is unacceptable for others to emulate it.

What can be shared is joy and celebration. For example, the celebration of the Lunar New Year, a holiday and calendar that originated in China, has been adopted by many other Asian and South Asian countries and has now taken many different forms, including Seollal in Korea, Shōgatsu in Japan, and Tết in Vietnam. These holidays are filled with traditional food, clothing, games, and parades throughout Asia, and now the U.S. as well, where there are larger populations of Asian Americans. It is a time to enjoy with close friends or family and delicious cuisine, in light of the arrival of spring and the new year. For that reason, it is not uncommon for schools or Asian communities to hold Lunar New Year celebrations for people of all ages and ethnicities to participate in, to learn about Asian culture, and to simply create and share happiness.

III. Are you representing the culture in a way that is respectful or mocking?

This is often the most recognizable sign of cultural appropriation: an attitude of ridicule or contempt, often through the exaggeration of stereotypical representations with comical intentions. Much to the horror of some viewers of the 2013 American Music Awards, Katy Perry performed her song “Unconditionally” as the opening act, her silhouette moving in a both robotic and stereotypical rendition of a geisha’s dance behind a shoji panel. When she emerges, Perry is clad in a modified kimono more resemblant of a high-collared Chinese qipao with an obi sash plainly tied around the waist to make it “Japanese,” the sleeves elongated in a strange manner and entire leg-length slits present in neither culture. She and her backup dancers sport white-painted faces, crudely drawn-on eyebrows, and messy, oversaturated makeup that is almost barely, if at all, resemblant of the actual geisha’s appearance. As Perry and her backup dancers repeatedly hold their palms together and do the stereotypical “Asian” bow throughout the song, they shuffle in circles in front of the animated backdrop of sky lanterns, red cherry blossom trees, and painted mountains. They contort themselves into awkward shapes while parading around the stage with umbrellas and massive fans, hanging and spinning from the ceiling as fake leaves fall to the ground. The camera then pans to the entirely white audience clapping for her act. Perhaps Perry didn’t mean to mock Asian culture by modifying and homogenizing traditional clothes, dances, and symbols, but the comical style of makeup and exaggerated bowing certainly accomplished the deed. The real question is, why does an American celebrity feel the need to pretend to be a poorly depicted member of a Japanese class of women who were often sold by their parents into the profession, with the sole purpose of entertaining men? This, while singing a song that has absolutely no connection, with shallow lyrics that repeat the lines “I will love you unconditionally” and “Let go and just be free” for four minutes? And yet, the number of commenters that praise her ludicrous performance as “flawless” or “honoring Japanese culture” is shocking.

That is not to say that wearing the traditional clothing of another culture is always an offense. Often, when tourists are visiting other countries, it is acceptable and even encouraged for them to don actual locally-made, historically accurate traditional clothing when they visit historical sites to experience the deep cultural history connected to that place. For example, in Seoul, South Korea, there are five ancient royal palaces: Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, and Gyeonghuigung. Visitors to all five of these palaces are allowed free entry if they are dressed in a hanbok, a traditional Korean outfit (Visit Seoul); rental shops for traditional hanboks, hair accessories, and purses are abundant throughout the city as well. In these cases, rather than mocking the historical dress of the culture, tourists can honor the traditions associated with those locations accurately and respectfully. 

IV. Are your motives in this adoption to share or to claim?

To answer this final question, you must be honest with yourself about your motives. Why are you choosing this cultural tradition specifically to emulate? What are you gaining from it? On May 1, 2013, the Walt Disney Company, more commonly known as Disney, filed an application to trademark the phrase “Día de los Muertos” in light of their upcoming film. Although the film would eventually become a smash hit and win two Academy Awards, this attempt to lay claim to the official name of The Day of the Dead, a major Mexican holiday, was not as well received and the company consequently decided to change the film’s name to Coco. This is an obvious example of a corporation hoping to quite literally claim a centuries-old cultural tradition for its own self-centered profit.

Instead, individuals and corporations should strive to approach other cultures with the intention of sharing, openness to revision, and the idea that there is always something more to learn. On October 20 of this year, the film Killers of the Flower Moon was released in theaters. The three-and-a-half-hour movie depicts the murders of members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma during the 1920s by white Americans coveting their oil-rich land. While the film was produced and directed by a non-Native team, the production consulted true Osage people in order to ensure an accurate depiction of Osage people and culture, and filming was conducted in Osage County itself. Lily Gladstone, the lead actress and a Native woman herself, revealed that having the input of the Osage Nation led to significant alterations in the film’s original plan, and shared in an interview that “The work is better when you let the world inform [it].” As a high-budget film featuring star actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon exposed a wide audience of viewers to an authentic interpretation of Native culture and was highly praised (Entertainment Weekly). The thoughtfulness in production demonstrates that a commercial enterprise like a film can still be done with the intent to share and inform and that the directors approached the project with a desire to learn.

All of these examples, both positive and negative, show that when emulating or adopting a tradition, we must look not only to the tradition itself but to the experience associated with it. What can be shared is joy, ideas, and innovation. What cannot be shared is identity, discrimination, or oppression.

So the next time you’re torn between whether a costume is culturally appropriate or not, ask yourself these four questions and be confident that you’re being informed, tactful, respectful, and considerate in your decision before making it.