a lot of ppl seem confused on what cultural appropriation is so lemme break it down
IT IS NOT: enjoying food from another culture, enjoying music from another culture, learning about another culture, or learning another language
IT IS: using another culture as a costume, wearing religious articles as accessories when you are not a follower of that religion, using a race as a mascot, disrespecting religious or cultural practices.
I had Some Thoughts on this…
as a South Asian poc, my immigrant family has always loved and WILL always love:
1. cooking traditional food for you and watching you try it, pointing out which ones might be too spicy, laughing at the faces you make.
2. DRESSING YOU UP! especially anyone female-identifying. A sari is the most complicated garment ever and there is an art to dressing someone, my mom and aunties are so stinkin’ proud of themselves whenever they get the honour of wrapping and pleating any young woman’s First Sari.
You don’t need to be SA (south asian). Our hospitality treats a guest as an honorary family member. They’ll fawn over you, they’ll take pictures. You arms and neck will be laden with bangles and gold. You’ll smell like jasmine when you walk into a room because there will be fresh jasmine in your hair. Everyone will call you beautiful.
The difference is, WE will put the bindhi on your foreheard. Not you. (I mean this as nicely as possible: you did not get yourself here on your own.)
You are here because we INVITED you in to celebrate diversity with us and its delightful kaleidoscope of colours and flavours…
I am glad that we are now educating ourselves on cultural appropriation, but I hope it doesn’t stop you from accept such invitations. I hope fear of being “politically incorrect’ doesn’t turn into “fear of interaction.” If you’re so worried about the way you look “politically” then you miss the whole point.
Cultural appropriation is declining to interact with us as people, as friends. Failing to acknowledge us as families. And instead waltzing in to our homes to eat our food, wear our clothes, don our hairstyles and walk away without a backwards glance–claiming all the while that the moment we step out of the small privacy of our homes we must reject it all and conform to “Your World.”
A healthier diversity is acknowledging the shared space and boundaries between us. It is when you wait until you are invited in before you graciously accept. Its letting us place the bindhi for you. and its taking off your goddamn shoes before you step inside.
I’m so grateful that I’m invited to events like Diwali in Leicester, honestly very grateful indeed