Spotlight on Students: A Discussion on Cultural Appropriation

This post highlights the work required of my SA 202: Introduction to Anthropology students. Students were given the opportunity to research and identify an example of cultural appropriation and explain how the cultural elements could be appreciated instead. Several students were given the opportunity to have their exemplary work featured on the blog, and the students who provided permission have their work featured here in this and the following blog posts. Please show your appreciation for their work through the comments.

Original Instagram post from Adele showing her Bantu knots and Jamaican flag bikini.

By: Jaaden Campbell

An example of cultural appropriation is when Adele posted an Instagram photo wearing Bantu knots and a Jamaican flag bikini for the Notting Hill Carnival. Adele believed that not dressing up in Jamaican cultural attire for the event made it difficult to understand why you were going to the event. This is an example of cultural appropriation because, in the beginning, Adele didn’t understand that being a white woman in Jamaican attire and wearing Bantu knots was wrong; later on, she realized the significance of the Jamaican flag and why she shouldn’t be wearing it due to the fact that the flag represents the independence and identity of the country, she also learned through the criticism from fans that Bantu knots were to protect Afro hair as a result of this her hair was ruined.

Adele was able to appreciate Jamaican and African American hairstyles by becoming informed on how to appreciate the culture without appropriating it. She learned that just being there and not wearing clothes or hairstyles for the culture was showing her appreciation. Adele explained in an interview on the subject by explaining why she never took the post down, explaining that she kept the post up to show she was not hiding her mistake; instead, she embraced her wrong doings by not hiding it. Adele helped by educating herself on the systemic challenges Black people face regularly. To further show her understanding, she spoke about the 2017 Grammys and how Beyoncé’s Lemonade album should have won the award due to the impact it had on the culture of women and African Americans.

Citation: 

Mulenga, Natasha. “Adele on Cultural Appropriation: ‘I Didn’t Read the F**king Room.’” Teen Vogue, Teen Vogue, 8 Oct. 2021, www.teenvogue.com/story/adele-addressed-cultural-appropriation-backlash-bantu-knots-vogue-covers.

 

Scene from the episode of Superstore titled, "Shots and Salsa."

 

By: Cierra Hein

While going over Chapter 2 in anthropology we have learned the words cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation. There is a difference between these two words, and it is wise to understand the difference between the two. Cultural appreciation is the act of learning, understanding, and respecting another culture in a way that is not for personal gain. Cultural appropriation is “the unilateral decision of one social group to take control over the symbols, practices or objects of another” (Welsch et al. 45). An example of cultural appropriation is someone forcing or imitating an accent. A situation where this happened was in a show called Superstore, in season one, episode three, the employees were told to sell some salsa for a charity event. The charity even was for kids in an orphanage in Mexico. While trying to sell the salsa the employees were putting on a Latino accent to make the sale more “authentic” (“Shots and Salsa” 14:34). This is cultural appropriation because imitating or adopting one’s accent without respect or understanding the culture is disrespectful and can lead to stereotyping. This can lead to negative and simplistic views on this culture. A good example of cultural appreciation without appropriating would have been if the employees of Superstore had learned and shared facts of the Latino culture and the historical process of making salsa. Instead of the employees just faking a Latino accent they could have put more interest in the charity event and what it was for. Employees could have been more enthusiastic about the sale without adopting an accent if they had known it was for a charity.

 

Works Cited

“Cultural Appreciation vs. Appropriation.” Wisconsin 4-H, 4h.extension.wisc.edu/opportunities/projects/expressive-arts/cultural-appreciation/#:~:text=Cultural%20Appreciation%5B1%5D&text=If%20your%20goal%20is%20to,from%20someone%20in%20that%20culture.

“Shots sand Salsa.” Superstore: Season 1, Episode 3, written by Justin Spitzer, Jack Kukoda, and Jeny Batten, directed by Ruben Fleischer, Spitzer Holding Company, Universal Television, and The District, 2015

Welsch, Robert L. et al. Anthropology: Asking Questions about Human Origins, Diversity, and Culture. 1^st ed., Oxford University Press, 2016