Cultural appropriation can be found everywhere. Some with the intent of offending others, but most with a severe lack of knowledge. Even if cultural appropriation is conducted out of ignorance, it is not excusable in any way. One example of a person who keeps coming under controversy for her many acts of cultural appropriation is Katy Perry.
Katy Perry has been criticized in more than just one instance for her repeated use of stereotyping or appropriating other cultures. In chronological order, the first instance that got Katy in the headlines was for her 2010 Coachella Music Festival outfit. At first glance, it is pretty easy to see how this is problematic. Not only is she wearing a replica of traditional Native American clothes, but she is also using the hand-over-the-mouth stereotype and racist trope. Personally, I do not think that Katy Perry did this aiming to offend anyone, but it ended up being very offensive to many people. As far as I can find, Katy has never released a response, apology, or explanation for why she wore this outfit and used this gesture.
The second controversy that Katy Perry found herself in was during her 2013 performance at the American Music Awards. Her performance used many different stereotypical beliefs from all across Asia. To make matters worse, the choreography behind her was a Chinese dance, but none of the dancers were of Chinese origin. I do not think that this was inherently racist, but is definitely a clear act of cultural appropriation. The video of her performance is below. Some argue that she is appreciating the culture, as how she has also defended herself, although I cannot see this side of the argument. What do you think?
The next way Katy Perry has appropriated a culture is through her music video of "Dark Horse". The video speaks for itself, there's no need for much explaining here. However, I do want to mention that apart from the clear cultural appropriation of Egyptian culture, she has managed to offend people of the world's second-largest religion. A pendant with the word "Allah" is burned and turned into a pile of sand. This is obvious as to why this is a problem. Apart from these, she even uses hairstyles common in the African American community in the video, which she seems to be no stranger to doing considering the many instances of her doing it in the past. Again, her argument for this video is that she was appreciating the culture. This seems crazy to me because the video seems almost like a mockery. I think that Katy Perry did not have bad intentions in any of these, but she should have listened time and time again and educated herself after her repeated offenses, and I think she should be held responsible in some way.
How does cultural appropriation relate to the history of the spirituals?
There is a deep history of people appropriating other cultures for entertainment. The history of African American spirituals has experienced a similar history. Just like the performance from the Western Michigan University Choir we talked and read about, many are done in willful ignorance. However, in the 1900s, culture was more likely appropriated on purpose, leading to negativity surrounding that culture among a lot in popular culture. It is only until people become educated about cultural appropriation can they then start to have conversations about whether something is right or not to say, wear, or use. If anything positive can come out of cultural appropriation, it would be the fact that there is a chance that people can learn from their mistakes and become educated about that culture and do better in the future.
Comments
Post a Comment