As of early last week, the Biebs is now sporting bleach blonde dreadlocks and people are NOT happy about it.
Justin Bieber: ‘It’s just my hair.’ Photograph: Instagram
Syreeta McFadden, a contributor for The Guardian, suggests that Beiber use the social media outcry for him to shave his dreads should be viewed as a teachable moment for the Hollywood elite. McFadden states, "Caught in the crosshairs of cultural appropriation, Beiber could use an education on the hairstyle that has roots in Hinduism, Rastafarianism and Black Resistance." Though I could have done without the obvious hair-related puns, McFadden makes a solid point.
My advice for Justin (and you) are as followed:
If you’re looking for ways to appreciate other cultures, but you haven’t yet thought about how to avoid appropriating them, then it’s possible that you’re doing more harm than good.
Appreciating another culture looks like cultural exchange. You’d have consent to participate in someone else’s culture, and both sides would mutually benefit and gain understanding of each other.
On the other hand, appropriating another culture includes taking from a marginalized group without permission, and usually without respect for or knowledge about their culture.
Appropriating someone's culture/community is something that needs to be taken more seriously by public figures. They set the standards for media consumers to interpret and follow - so unfortunately for this one I think it might be too late to say Sorry.
www.buzzfeed.com
The Biebs latest social media blunder and apparent action of cultural appropriation reminded me of a video created by actress and activist Amandla Stenberg called "Don't Cash Crop On My Cornrows."
Stenberg is quoted in the video saying "Appropriation occurs when a style leads to racist generalizations or stereotypes where it originated, but is deemed as high fashion, cool, or funny when the privileged take it for themselves." "What would America be like if we loved black people as much as we love black culture?"
Sorry not Sorry Justin. Maybe you should just stick to what you know - tweeny power ballads and taking selfies. But maybe selfies with your old hairstyles.
This was GREAT!!! I absolutely loved this blog. I hear all the time "everyone wants to be black, until they see what we go through" I think that it is true that everyone loves the African American culture (foods, hairstyles) and they try to do it but they do not know where it originates from which I can see why people are not happy about what Justin did. This was seriously an awesome blog! I loved it!
This was GREAT!!! I absolutely loved this blog. I hear all the time "everyone wants to be black, until they see what we go through" I think that it is true that everyone loves the African American culture (foods, hairstyles) and they try to do it but they do not know where it originates from which I can see why people are not happy about what Justin did. This was seriously an awesome blog! I loved it!
ReplyDelete