The grey area between cultural appropriation and appreciation

When Vogue India posted a picture of Kim Kardashian and her daughter North  sporting twin nose rings on Instagram - the comments section ensued with its  usual conversation, contrarian views and insightful inspection. However, what it  sparked at the Vogue India office was a debate on the age old push and pull of  cultural appropriation versus appreciation. How do you know if you are co-opting  cultural connotations or innocuously borrowing an aesthetic?

We’ve all seen instances of appropriation over the years. This usually  happens when a dominant race adopts the culture of a minority with little or no  sensitivity and respect towards its origin. There have been some inexcusable  moments in pop culture — remember Zac Efron wearing dreadlocks and calling it  ‘fun’? There was also Kylie Jenner wearing cornrows in a music video, Kim  Kardashian supposedly rocking blackface in one of her brand’s beauty campaigns  or Pharell Williams’ magazine cover with a native American headdress. Let’s not  forget Selena Gomez or Vanessa Hudgens for their ‘bindi’ obsession at  Coachella.

Two weeks ago, Kim Kardashian and North West’s nose rings at Paris Fashion  Week sparked a debate about cultural appropriation. The nose ring, or the nath  style that she chose to wear, originated in the 9th and 10th centuries in India  and symbolised the marital status of a woman. Over the years, though, the nose  ring has found its place as a fashion accessory and isn’t necessarily bound by  gender either – almost as common as any other piercing. Needless to say, people  were displeased and called it out, while the defenders dismissed it as  Kardashian’s attempt to make her customary attention grabbing statement, not  deliberately intending to offend or appropriate the nose ring.

We found ourselves in a similar dilemma when we saw And Just Like That’s  Diwali episode — Did the show creators deserve a pat on the back for  appreciating Indian culture enough to dedicate an entire episode to it, or  should they have focused on the actual details — like not calling a lehenga a  sari, perhaps? Is there a grey area at all when it comes to appropriation? In  today’s times, when borrowing, co-creating and inspiring seems extremely common  and happens far too often, what are the rules? Vogue got a fashion designer, a  founder of a retail boutique and a global influencer to weigh in.

Dhruv Kapoor, the first Indian designer to stage a menswear show at Milan  Fashion Week veers towards the ‘appreciation’ angle. “ I personally felt like  Kim and North looked great. I find that people tend to bite because they are  bored and need something to chew on. There are barely any rules on how to wear a  nose ring — none that I’m aware of anyway.” Kapoor has always found it  fascinating to see a cultural mix on the runway and doubts that brands would  showcase a borrowed culture to purposely demean it in any way. He continues, “I  believe in our interconnectedness as humans devoid of ownership over something  as large as “culture”. A great example of this is Virgil Abloh’s ability to put  together a fantastic mix of cultures in every collection. We’re all entitled to  our opinion and what we see fit for ourselves. But when we’re referring to a  specific culture, all we need to ensure is that we’re doing it respectfully —  which is mostly done.”

Respect and credit for the borrowed culture, seems to be that fine line.  Kelvin Gonclaves, Founder and President at Elkel, an independent NYC based  avant-garde boutique retailing designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Walter Van  Beirendonck, GmbH and Rick Owens, believes that any form of art — fashion  included — borrows inspiration from other cultures and it has created new and  incredible things. “Fortunately, appropriation isn't always a side effect of  this crossing. A lot of it has to do with respecting the traditions of the  original idea and acknowledging the inspiration. If your action disrespects the  original idea because of cultural, religious or other customs, then you've gone  too far. If you claim it as yours without giving credit, you've definitely gone  too far. There are a few things that should never be done like blackface or  dreadlocks on a white person. With taste and acknowledgement, though, most  things can be done.”

Gonclaves continues, “Rick Owens is a great example of this. Through his  career he has referenced Egyptian culture. He did it not by fetishising it nor  creating some sort of Disney-fied version of it, instead he was inspired by  shapes and most importantly cultural traditions and ideas of life and death and  injected that into his DNA, creating something that feels modern and relevant  but still full of history. I think that's part of the reason it's so successful,  the way Rick presents things makes the audience curious about the origin.  Instead of creating a design based on something else and saying this is ‘my’  creation, he created something that directed the viewer towards the original  idea.”As a content creator and a global influencer that has found success in  representing India at International fashion weeks, the Cannes Film Festival and  working with brands like Dior, Louis Vuitton and Valentino, Masoom Minawala is  often in the company of celebrities and creators from different continents on  the red carpet, who are likely to take interest in other indigenous cultures.  Minawala says, “Sharing each other’s cultures is a healthy way for a society to  thrive, co-exist and learn about each other, but it must be done carefully and  with respect to the culture and what it represents. When borrowing any aspect of  a certain culture, it's important to understand the historical context. Chances  are if we understand a cultural product and its sacredness, we’re unlikely to  use it in an offensive or objectionable way. We need to put the research and  time into it. The only way to determine if we’re appreciating or appropriating  is to question ourselves and understand if we’re borrowing and respecting a  culture or exploiting it and ripping it off for self-interest.”Read more at:robe soirée  femme (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) | long  evening dresses online (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)