We Share Air, We Share Culture (Cultural Appropriation)

 

4 Minute Read

 

 

Because existence on planet earth is so difficult we find ourselves essentializing (characterising) as a means of creating order. What this means is that we are quick to label and box everything we see in society so we can easily decide how to behave towards other people or how to make decisions about how to dress, act, and conduct ourselves. In a world of so many possibilities, we narrow things down so that life is easier. However, during this process several problematic issues arise, the biggest one in my opinion being rigidity.

 

 

Being rigid takes away so much out of life's different flavours and textures. It blinds one from the fact that the universe is one big network bustling with creativity, innovation, and beauty unbound to rules and labels. This became ever so evident to me when I researched the beautification methods of 'Black' women. I originally hypothesized that 'Black' women relaxing their hair and going for a 'eurocentric look' meant that they were colonised and brainwashed against their own beauty, and although in one aspect this was found by the study to be true, the study also showed that the surface of our bodies is a playground for creativity and self-expression. It showed that you can do so much with the surface of the body the same way you can paint the most exquisite painting on a blank canvas. The study concluded that if the cultivation of the surface of the body is not coming from a place of insecurity, self-doubt, self-loathing, or other psychological issues the creative possibilities are harmfully endless. 

 

Through this, I learned that as human beings we share not only the practical things such as the air we breathe but also culture. Culture is not mutually exclusive or discriminating. Culture considers all people; rich, poor, tall, short, Afrocentric, Hispanic, Asian, Caucasian, etc. Not expecting a 'White' woman to wear braids or cornrows is like expecting a human being with a certain skin colour to not breathe in hydrogen when breathing in air. It's also like expecting all the ingredients in one pot to maintain their original composition instead of becoming one big tasty soup.  The same goes for 'Black' women wearing wigs that look like 'White' women's hair.

 

 

Life and existence are all about integration. Human beings have cerebral asymmetry which indicates that learning, evolving, and integrating knowledge are all part of existence. Culture is spread from group to group, society to society, and is transgenerated (passed down from generation to generation). Yes, in some contexts cultural appropriation may undermine the significance of certain practices with great significant cultural meaning, but, acculturation is also symbolic of how we are all one and how we should not only tolerate each culture but further go on to embody it.

 

 

 

Picture by: Lehandross

 

Centered Consciousness