#blackexpereinces

[bnomaid]

Cultural Appropriation

“The adoption of elements of one culture by members of another culture. This can be controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from disadvantaged minority cultures.“ (Google)

I never really understood or cared much about the fight against cultural appropriation for Black people and I guess I am beginning to understand the situation. Thanks to people like Bhad Barbie or whoever she is, there has been a lot of media attention surrounding her current hairstyle of Box Braids saying that she’s being racist and whatnot. So I guess that the fact that she’s not Black and could be White... I am not too sure what she is because I don’t know much about who she is... but the problem is that she’s taking something native to Black people’s culture and making it her own. Basically, this is what people do in life, they steal other people’s cultural traditions and whatever else that can get their hands on. It’s not the first time it has happened but it’s hard for me to want to feel bad about the situation because I know Black men and women have been oppressed for years over things that we can’t change like the way our hair grows or our natural features. But then a White person or Latino person or Asian person will come along and say, “hey that’s dope, let me try that” then BOOM! They’re all the media is talking about and Black people are left in the back as if this wasn’t something they were already doing. This takes away everything from the Black community... 

okay... now I’m upset... I see the problem ._.

For me, I have to talk things through, even if it is with myself to understand simple concepts and complex ones. I have to put them in the air.

Back to the discussion... this is frustrating and outrageous for Black people. Where is our accreditation and recognition? Yes, other people have braiding styles of their own but I guess this one is ours and it was developed for us. Would we like to share it, I don't know because I feel like we don’t own the hairstyle. Like I get the madness surrounding cultural appropriation but I feel like if Black people weren’t shamed in the first place for doing these things then all would be well and other people could do them too without a problem. Does that make sense? I am just trying to better understand people.