Cultural Appropriation : Letter to the editor

6th October, 2014

Dear Chimene Suleyman,

I am writing this letter to praise the fantastic piece on cultural appropriation, The Fashionable Face of Racism. I throughly agree on your take on this rather controversial topic and your expression of the reasons for your opinion.

One of the points that interested me the most in your writing is your mentioning of the devaluing of these cultural aspects. Your reference to Sanaa Hamid's artwork is fantastic and really sheds light on the importance of certain cultural elements. How can someone who is not familiar with the strength of something understand its worth by wearing it? I would hate to see the deep meaning of something being overlooked simply in the name of a fashion statement. Personally, I am someone who highly enjoys fashion but i think this is something that goes beyond fashion. These cultural elements are great when they are worn by people of that culture in a form of expression. However they are often taken out of this context in an effort to appear "exotic", this is where I disagree with the idea. These elements have a strong meaning to the culture and they should not be worn simply as a fashion statement. I do however support those who wear it in an effort to express their pride for their culture, it is a great way to show a form of patriotism. Further, although there is a fine line regarding this, it is not necessarily cultural appropriation when people take part in these elements after studying and understanding the value of such things. It is rather often where people learn new things and find them fascinating and in turn want to take a part of them; after all, isn't the world about sharing cultures? However the fine line is crossed when it comes into the terms of the not understanding the culture and the importance of these elements, be it religious, cultural or spiritual.

This article drew my attention to cultural appropriation in areas I may not have thought about. Not in the sense that I believed these things were okay, but in the fact that they are so common we may start to believe they are normal. I particularly loved this quote:
“It is only in the West,” my father speaks changing the channel, “that a white man will grab from your country and sell it back to you for more, as though you have never before seen it.”
I think this globalisation of our unique cultures in an effort to make them into what I can only describe as a "exotic, costume-like thing that is out of the ordinary" is upsetting. There is so much worth and meaning to these individual elements and I would hate it to see it all appear as a "trend". Thank you for such a great article!

Regards,

Farah Ghattas