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IT'S NOT A TREND: Cultural Appropriation OU senior Shalyn Foster gives a Black woman’s perspective on cultural appropriation. BY HELEN WIDMAN | ILLUSTRATION BY LAINEY DOUGLAS
When a non-Black person sees cornrows, they might see just another hairstyle. But to many Black people, they look at cornrows and see maps, means of survival and the sisters and brothers that struggled before them. To Black people and many other people of color, cultural appropriation is an all too common battle. But what is cultural appropriation? According to an article by Northern Arizona University professor Richard A. Rogers, “Cultural appropriation [is] defined broadly as the use of a culture’s symbols, artifacts, genres, rituals, or technologies by members of another culture.” For Shalyn Foster, an Ohio University senior studying health services administration, cultural appropriation is a phenomenon she has both witnessed on social media and experienced firsthand. One popular example of cultural appropriation often cited in the media is non-Black celebrities adorning cornrows. “For example, Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton [and] the rest of them wearing braided hairstyle cornrows, they feel like they're paying homage to Black women who wear those styles, but they have no idea of the history,” Foster says. Cornrows have been worn by African women since 300 B.C. In America, the hairstyle has ties to the Underground Railroad.
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“They don't know that slaves would braid rice in the hair so that when they got down the river, they would be able to survive,” Foster says. “You know they don't know the stories of countless Black children who have been suspended from school and have had teachers cut braids out of their hair because they've been told their hair was unruly. I know many Black women and Black men [that] have gone to job interviews [and been] denied because their hair wasn't ‘professional.’” Although the difference between appropriation and appreciation can be difficult to distinguish, Foster sums it up in one word: purpose. “I think the purpose is the biggest difference between appreciation and appropriation, like why are you doing this?” Foster says. “Do you want to learn about this culture, you want to learn about their history, or is it because you thought it was cool and you liked it?” While the Internet can be a helpful tool for non-Black people to use to research Black culture, an important part of seeking out education on any cultural topic is listening to voices from that specific culture and giving their voices a platform as well. “I think the biggest part is doing your own research, but also know there's only so many things you can do,” Foster says.
