Each fashion week, the legacy of luxury giants adopting minorities' culture resurfaces. Thanks for your input. Also, the more I read about waist beads, the less I want them. But to me, wearing of body chain is not cultural appropriation but rather appreciation. Find it here. Im not your sis. A sort of body jewellery worn around the waist is the belly chain. Plenty of people have been guilty of cultural appropriation without realizing it. I'll give you this Greek "white girl's" response below. Bro. They are frequently fashioned of gold or silver. First of all, what is the culture, that you speak of? This might include beliefs, traditions, language, objects, ideas, behaviors, customs, values, or institutions. Ill give you this Greek white girls response below. Then immediately stop what youre doing. The issue of cultural appropriation in the classroom is definitely one which educators should reflect on. In Arabic, this kind of dance is called Raqs Sharqi, or Eastern dance. But the more respectful thing to do is ask first if they're ok with it. She writes a lot of designs&brands posts with very actionable tips. However, our sentiments are different from this in that the body chains are more of a means of cultural appreciation rather than cultural appropriation. wearing a bindi as a trend. When Grande got her song title "7 Rings" tattooed on her hand, she accidentally got "BBQ Grill" instead. Because of this, I see our winged eyeliner, lined lips, and big hoop earrings serving as symbols [and] as an everyday act of resistance, especially here at the Claremont Colleges. We must all ask ourselves whether wearing these many types of body jewellery is cultural appropriation or an appreciation of different cultures. Her portrayal clumps together Native American beliefs and traditions from several different Indigenous groups, reducing these cultural traditions to stereotypes and fantasy instead of acknowledging them as actual cultural practices that are still part of Native American culture today. Hoops arent mentioned in the UD definitions, although most of the girls pictured in an image search wear large hoops earrings, along with bandanas, heavy eye makeup, and flannel shirts. An exclusively curated collection of various categories of Indian traditional sarees, Ethnic Weaves - Abu Dhabi, is your one-stop store & website for all ethnic wear needs Wearing body chains, especially the waist beads, isnt a form of cultural appropriation but rather cultural appreciation. Bala. Or at least that's my opinion. You can appreciate and share cultural elements without appropriating. You share your knowledge only with permission and always credit people who belong to that culture. Good thing to awaken them from their LaLa land thinking. Taking time to learn more about specific cultures and keeping the questions above in mind can help you work toward anti-racism and greater sensitivity across the board. Signup for our newsletter to get notified about sales and new products. She also uses the problematic white savior trope. The ancient Greeks were one of the first peoples to wear hoop earrings around 2000 BC. In the end, everything depends on the subjectivity of the individual and their assessment of the pieces historical context. Ultimately, it all comes down to an individuals subjectivity and an understanding of the appreciation of the history associated with the pieces. Asking yourself the following questions can also help you make sure your actions stay in the realm of appreciation: Note: Some people disagree on whether some behaviors are appropriative or simply culturally insensitive. When one white student expressed confusion about the message, Alegria Martinez (PZ 18) a Pitzer College Resident Assistant (RA) and active member of the Latinx Student Union responded in an email thread sent to the entire student body: For those unfamiliar with the latest PC lingo, Latinx is the new gender neutral [way] to include the transgender, gender-fluid and gender non-conforming people instead of writing the traditional male/female Latino/Latina. Oh, and that slogan you leftists love to chant at protests? Seriously! What Does It Mean to Be Gender Nonconforming? Here's how to opt, The relationship people have with their bodies is more complex than their Instagram caption or photo. We break it. If you do use any elements from that culture, you ask permission and give credit to the creator or source. Among their recipes, youll often find lighter or easier versions of traditional dishes from other cultures. Often that harm can span social institutions and political, economic, social, spiritual, cultural worlds.". They can be worn for fashion purposes, waist shaping, and weight monitoring. Wondering exactly what counts as cultural appropriation? So, with waist beads and body chains worn increasingly in the waist, whether made of threaded strings, hooped chains, or small beads, the popularity of body chains can be regarded as the best form of cultural appreciation. Appropriation affects people from exploited, marginalized cultures. The one that especially gets to me is hippy, New Age, non-Indigenous spiritualisation of our heritage. But instead, I love that I can see the culture of my ancestors used everywhere. But today, wearing body jewelries like chain and beads are mostly seen as a cultural thing but as fashion. I know quite a few African women that it irritates to see people that have no history or cultural connection to waistbeads. this includes other Blk women, as they have been making them since they were children. Find gold & silver nose rings made from titanium, surgical steel & sterling silver. Would a person of that culture see my actions as respectful? Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. The waist bead/ chain is more than a cultural thing, and you can wear it for different reasons, including non-scale weight monitoring, enhancing your sensuality, and just for aesthetics. The question we all need to consider is whether we are culturally appropriating by wearing these different variations of body jewellery or whether we . If you're using a string, mark on the string where the two ends meet, then measure that . This misrepresentation leaves people of color in a marginalized position where they lack the same opportunities for recognition, success, and profit. Wearing Miss EmpowHer waist beads is a form of cultural appreciation, not appropriation. Read more topics here or here ! Seems like if you wanna wear something for style you can just wear a belly chain. Then there's the fact that Africa isn't one homogenous country and culture, it's a group of different countries with their own individual things, but cultural appropriation between those countries doesn't appear to be considered an issue. Cultural appropriation is often defined as "taking - from a culture that is not one's own - of intellectual property, cultural expressions and artefacts, history and ways of knowledge". A young woman in Utah bought a Chinese-style dress to wear to her high school formal. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. But this also is totally dependent on individuals. Most people mistake waist beads for being worn by black women and believe that non-African women commit cultural appropriation by wearing them. "Cultural appropriation," Kaili told The Huffington Post, "is when a dominant . You're right; I can wear what I wantbut that doesn't always mean it's the best thing to do. Navigating the niceties of appropriation versus appreciation can, admittedly, prove a little challenging. Time to wake up, my white sisters. Appropriation also tends to involve some misuse of cultural elements. Material harm [and] 2. When something is special to to a group of people, it's disrespectful to take that thing and use it without their permission - especially if they've already said, "Please don't take our thing, it's very special to us". Follow me . Not appropriation. For example: I know a First Nations person, I have an Aboriginal friend, my niece/nephew is married to an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, my neighbours were Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, or I dreamt my identity and I feel an affiliation/spirituality with First Nations culture Big deal! Follow her on Twitter @AlexaShrugged. Cultural appropriation clearly harms the source culture in a variety of ways [:] 1. And make no mistake, hoops are the main focus here and the most bizarre because theyve been worn across continents across history. You cant truly appreciate without this deeper awareness. Cultural appropriation can be a little tricky to understand. Since that misrepresents Japanese culture, it would become appropriation. Payals, or anklets, are meant to symbolize the arrival of a wife into her husband's house. In other words, people who appropriate generally pick and choose only the elements they consider appealing and ignore the rest, along with any important cultural context behind those elements. I discovered waist chains a while ago and wanted to finally buy one but noticed it's mostly women of colour wearing them in the pictures. When separated from its religious meaning, as jewelry style, it has. But when you wear another group's cultural signifiers head to toe, it can create the impression that you see them as a costume. It doesnt take much effort to find cultural appropriation in popular culture and on social media. After you decide, wrap measuring tape or string around that part of your body to get the measurement. This might feel uncomfortable, but its worth it, since it could help them avoid appropriation, too. Key elements of culture include: To appropriate, in basic terms, means to take without permission. Theres nothing at all wrong with wanting to prepare or enjoy food from another culture. A lot of people see African culture think that its pretty or cool and then just take it but I feel like its okay if you learn about it and give appreciation to it. And Im sure there are other reasons youre not taken seriously, like saying Latinx or demanding racist dress codes. We Greeks are a prideful people who embrace how our civilization has been appropriated cue Mr. Portokalos in My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding bragging about finding the Greek root in every word. Last medically reviewed on August 24, 2021. To help is understand if you should see wearing a body chain or bead is a cultural appropriation or not, let us try to understand the term from their individual meanings. [CDATA[ While some people feel that gender nonconformity is a part of their identity, for others, its more of a decision and an action than an identity. Change your clothes, take the accessory off, scrub the phrase from your vocabulary. What do you think of these Latina students telling white girls to take off their hoop earrings? I know this is a very sensitive area of discussion because of the stolen generations, but dont try to relate to me by announcing some new-found distant Ancestry.com connection or relation to a First Nations person. It is believed that the body chains were worn as accessories draped over ones shoulders and also around the hips. Cultural appropriation has always been an underlying issue in the fashion industry, with many top designers flippantly turning elements of culture into everyday fashion accessories. naming teams after animals, plants, or noncultural concepts. The most notable criticism was levelled at her 2013 AMAs performance in which . White and any other color girls should be able to wear whatever earrings they want because this is America and women can wear what they want to feel good about themselves without being earring-shamed (hows that for feminism?!) The body chains, especially the belly or waist chains, can be traced to at least 4000 years ago, and all evidence point to this type of jewelry originating from India, or rather, the Indian Subcontinent. These body chains were not thin chains but linked medallions probably why these denoted the power and the authority of the males that ruled at the time. By contributing to misleading and harmful stereotypes, it prevents opportunities for true understanding and cultural exchange. The significance of the chains comes from their representation of femininity, fertility, and sexuality. This directly borrows from the culture and supports that artisans who create the intricate waist beads. Oxford Dictionary, which only put the phrase into its official lexicon in 2017, defines cultural appropriation as "the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. Body chains, especially the beaded ones originating from West Africa among other African countries, are often considered an African cultural thing that has been adopted by the rest of the world, with body chains considered an important accessory that anyone can wear today. Ah, yes, learning via search engine because we all know the Internet is never wrong or contradictory. Cultural . Download. So, if you like waist beads or body chains, you should wear them, and have fun with them. In the past, both men and women in India wore waist chains as ornaments, as a part of religious rituals, as accessories, and to display wealth. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); girl..i thought this was a legit news article omg.. According to Wikipedia, The use of waist chains can be traced back to 4000 years or more originating in the Indian Subcontinent. As a African women I think that it okay for you to wear it but just dont change the name of it and things. Designed & Developed by Precision Creations, By subscribing, you agree to receive emails from ThePoliticalInsider.com and that you've read and agree to our, WHITE GIRLS: If You Wear THIS Common Piece Of Jewelry, You Are GUILTY Of, gender neutral [way] to include the transgender, gender-fluid and gender non-conforming people, The ancient Greeks were one of the first peoples to wear hoop earrings, bragging about finding the Greek root in every word, Attorney General Jeff Sessions Asks 46 Obama Attorneys to Resign, Liberals Freak Out After NYC Mayor Eric Adams Says Guns Came Into the Schools When Prayer Was Taken Out, Lori Lightfoot Blames Being a Black Woman in America For Her Historic Reelection Loss, House Ethics Committee Finds Substantial Reason to Believe AOC Improperly Accepted Gifts, May Have Violated Federal Law.