Cultural appropriation has been quietly plaguing society for centuries. It is only until recently that society has become more aware of the repercussions and the importance of individual responsibilities in preventing cultural appropriation. There is an ambiguous line between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. Progress in society would be hindered if we did not inter-exchange the ideas, fashion, and culture; but it is how it is exchanged, presented, and the profits involved during this cultural exchange that is essential in understanding the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. But what is cultural appropriation? Cultural appropriation is when members of a dominated group take without acknowledgment of the cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical manner. Thus, the action of culturally appropriating a culture reinforces the power imbalance between the different cultures in question. As humans, according to Bauman, a Polish sociologist, and philosopher, once those who have identified as producers create objects for consumption, there is then a motivation being developed to possess as many objects as they can in their lifetime (Bauman, 2008). By this want to make a profit and acquire as many possessions as we possibly can, we will find the good, bad, and ugly behaviors to achieve this desire, even if it means reinforcing the concept of cultural appropriation instead of the ethical ways of culturally appreciating and giving credit to the oppressed minority group. East Asian countries have been both the appropriators and the appropriated cultures but for the sake of this essay, the focus will be on the appropriation of different East Asian cultures such as the Japanese, Chinese, and South Korean cultures in the Western fashion industry. The essay will also question how using specific vocab (orientalism) plays role in the cultural appropriation of Asian culture.
In the United States, Asians from all different backgrounds have historically been discriminated against. Asian Americans have experienced verbal and physical violence motivated by racism and xenophobia from the time they first arrived in America to the present day, as seen by the rise of hate crimes against Asians around the world. (Gover, Harper, Langton, 2020); Though the crimes against Asians are breaking new recordings year by year in part due to the ongoing pandemic that originated in China, the Asian influences in beauty and fashion have been rising in America’s culture. The influence on Western women’s dress from Asian cultures can be traced back to the early BC times when the Silk Road routes provided important roadways for cultural exchanges that linked producers and consumers from China, India, Persia, and the Mediterranean countries to the European countries. (Boulnois, Mayhew, Sheng 2008). The most frequented and popular culturally appropriated clothing from different East Asian countries includes the qipao or cheongsam from China, the kimono from Japan, and the hanbok from South Korea. These are examples of when a dominant culture group like the United States creates the hierarchy of where the wealthy countries like themselves get to determine what has value to them (the design of clothing from the appropriated country) and what does not (the culturally meanings behind these clothes to the country of origin.) (Bourdieu, 1984).
Orientalism is a word that has been deeply tied to the cultural appropriation of Asian cultures. This word was used in the past to describe East-Asian countries and the fundamental ideology behind the word orientalism had and still is causing harmful inaccuracies of the cultural representations of the Western thought and perception of the Eastern world. The first known use of the word "oriental" is believed to have occurred sometime during the 14th century and is referred to any area east or southeast of Europe. Orientalism is the imitation of Eastern cultures usually done by writers, designers, and artists who only have western heritage (Said,1978.) Edward Said in his book Orientalism argues that the word Orientalism is deeply tied to imperialism and colonialism in the societies that produced it, which makes much of Orientalist work inherently political and servile to the imbalance of power. (Bullock, Trombley, Lawrie, 1999, p.617) Orientalism flourished during the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century when imperialism and colonialism were at their height. The oriental influence increased during this period and was swept across Europe. Objects that were made in the Orient style were often inaccurate, having been designed from the imagination of its designers of what Eastern cultures were like rather than the observation of authentic artifacts from these said cultures, thus, the objects were deeply appropriated but were seen as being authentic. (V&A: Chinoiserie – an introduction) This phenomenon of deciding what was culturally appropriated and what was deemed to be authentic can be summed up with the quote from Fashion, Desire & Anxiety, Image & Morality in the 20th Century by Rebecca Arnold “ “the objects endowed with the greatest distinctive power are those which most attest the quality of the appropriation, and therefore the quality of the owner” (Arnold, 2001, p.20). The power to decide what was appropriated or appreciated resides with those with the power over the minority culture. Making the discission and the lines of appropriation vs. appreciation difficult to differentiate. Asian-style garments and accessories appeared in both the men’s and women’s closest during this period. The people from these colonized parts of the world suffered greatly economically and culturally at the hands of the colonizers. Chinoiserie was one of many things that were appropriated by the West that was considered to be very fashionable during the 18th century with another huge tick in its popularity in the 1920s and 1930s, due to where Art Deco was combined with oriental styles. This ideology of orientalism and the Western’s thought of “superior vs. inferior” prevented the local Asian cultures from being credited properly for their designs and their influence on fashion.
One recent case study of cultural appropriation that has since become a heated discussion recently was Kim Kardashian’s newest fashion line’s name. It has since been renamed skims due to the backlash, but before the renaming of her new shapewear and lingerie brand, she wanted to name her brand Kimono. A supposed wordplay on her name Kim and similar to her other brands’ names (Kimoji and KKW Beauty.) Kim Kardashian failed to realize or acknowledge that the kimono is a traditional Japanese attire that has been worn for centuries by the Japanese people and that it is deeply rooted in its culture, nor did she realize that a kimono is not a shapewear/lingerie design article of clothes. It was not until several days of trying to defend her brand’s name and receiving countless attacks of culturally appropriating Japanese culture posted onto her social media pages, and a Kyoto mayor penning an open letter asking Kim Kardashian to change her name brand did she finally relented and announced that she will change the name of her brand and drop her attempts to trademark the name Kimono. When Kim Kardashian announced her brand’s intention to rename it in her tweets, she failed to directly apologize for attempting to culturally appropriate the Japanese people’s clothes and glossed over her brand’s actions by stating that “my brands and products are built with inclusivity and diversity at their core and after careful thought and consideration, I will be launching my solution wear brand under a new name. I will be in touch soon. Thank you for your understanding and support always.” (The New York Times, 2019) Kim Kardashian is an example of cultural appropriation that had a happy ending, where the appropriator faced consequences but many times over when a culture is being appropriated rarely does the appropriator has faced backlash. If anything, Western fashion designers are often quoted and praised for “...scour the globe for exotic inspirations, re-working historical and cultural design inspirations, and are hailed as creative forces, the work of non-western designers is often excluded from the contemporary, their designs interpreted as culturally rather than individually based.” (Radclyffe-Thomas and Radclyffe-Thomas pg.46).
To foster a more inclusive and respectful fashion landscape, ongoing dialogue, education, and a commitment to acknowledging the cultural origins and meanings behind designs are essential. By recognizing the significance of cultural appreciation over appropriation, we can contribute to a more equitable and culturally sensitive fashion industry—one that celebrates diversity, honors cultural heritage, and strives for mutual understanding.
Lena Wu The dark side of orentalism
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