Seeing YouTubers/influencers appropriate black culture has become so common that I was not even surprised when I saw that Nikita Dragun had worn box braids. Was I still angry? Absolutely.

Dragun took to Instagram last week to post a photo of herself in box braids that was accompanied by a caption attempting to defend this choice. She claims that since she was wearing this hairstyle out of love for black women and black culture, she should not be criticized for it. Dragun also believes that since she is aware of the fact that many black women have been sent home from school and work because of their box braids, she should be allowed to wear the hairstyle as well. She sees it as "spreading awareness and equality."

To some of you, this may sound nice and thoughtful, but it is just showing that Dragun has no idea what allyship actually means. One of the most important parts of being an ally is listening to the marginalized groups that are personally affected by the issue you are trying to raise awareness on. Black people, especially black women, have explained time and time again why non-black people cannot wear black hairstyles, but Dragun seems to think she has some kind of pass because she knows that black people have been discriminated against for wearing box braids. If she really wanted to show her support for the black community, she would not have worn those box braids at all.

I'm also skeptical that she intended to "show her love of black hairstyles" because in a separate comment on the same post she said, "here come the she's canceled comments…" It seems like she only posted that caption to try to get people off her back and pretend like she actually cares. No matter how much she claims to be wearing the box braids to spread awareness about anti-blackness, she still did the anti-black action herself. The amount of praise she got for the box braids is just another example of society loving black hairstyles on anyone but black people.

If Dragun intended to educate her audience on discrimination that black people face because of their hair, she could have shared stories of these instances, or better yet, had a black person go on her Instagram and talk about it themselves.

As I was reading different people's thoughts on Dragun's cultural appropriation, I noticed that there were quite a few people purposefully misgendering her because they were upset that she appropriated black culture. Of course, what she did was wrong, but that does not mean that it is suddenly OK for her to not be referred to by the right pronouns. The answer to anti-blackness is not transphobia. Trans people should have their pronouns respected regardless of whether or not you think they are a good person.

A trans person being called by their correct pronouns is not something that needs to be earned. Cis people that are anti-black do not get misgendered, so it should not be different in Dragun's case just because she is trans.

My intention with saying this is not to minimize Dragun's actions at all. We should all continue to explain why her actions are not acceptable, but it should be done without misgendering her.