Cultural appropriation has become something of a buzz phrase. No matter your race or ethnicity, everyone seems to have different and strong opinions about what cultural appropriation is, who it applies to, and when, or if, it’s allowed. The 2018 Met Gala is the most recent subject of cultural appropriation debate. I’m here to set the record straight: no, the Met Gala wasn’t cultural appropriation, but some of it was insensitive and disrespectful to the Catholic faith.

First, it’s important to know the definition of cultural appropriation. The problem with this is that no one dictionary of information source can seem to agree on what that is. The Cambridge English Dictionary defines cultural appropriation as “the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture.” Wikipedia, on the other hand, insists that cultural appropriation can’t be cultural appropriation unless the dominant culture is using something from a minority culture.

See also: Why I, As A Catholic, Celebrate The Met Gala Theme This Year

So, if you go by the Cambridge definition, the Met Gala is cultural appropriation. If you’re going by Wikipedia, then it isn’t. I’m more inclined to believe that the act of “taking” something has an oppressive or power-structure factor, something can’t be cultural appropriation unless this cultural thing – whether that’s music, clothing, religion, or what have you – is being used by the dominant culture when it is typically part of a minority culture.

There’s also the fact that Catholicism is a religion, not a culture. Every person, regardless of race and ethnicity, is welcome to join the Church, so it doesn’t matter whether Christianity is “dominant,” because it’s not a culture. By this logic, we’re going to go ahead and say that the Met Gala was not cultural appropriation.

However, just because it’s not cultural appropriation doesn’t mean that it isn’t insensitive and disrespectful to the religion.

The Met Gala theme this year was “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” The point of the theme was to showcase the cross (pun intended, I guess) between fashion and Catholic imagery and symbolism. Most of the pieces were inspired by Catholicism, and while there were some looks that weren’t offensive, well, most Catholics know by now that something has to be wholly good to be good.

I love the intent behind the theme, and I think that, if the designers had made more conservative fashion choices, it could have been something truly beautiful. However, a woman wearing Pope garb, and others generally being scantily clad while also wearing Catholic imagery is ignorant at best and disrespectful, or even blasphemous, at worst. There’s no getting around that. The Catholic Church might not have a black and white dress code, but Christianity at large is generally against revealing clothing, so to do that, and then intertwine some Catholic imagery along with it, is absolutely disrespectful to the faith.

See also: No, White People, You Don't Get To Claim 'Cultural Appropriation' For The Met Gala's Latest Theme

Yes, the Vatican approved the theme. Yes, they sent over materials from the Sistine Chapel. Yes, many of the celebrities and designers identify as Catholic. But the people who operate under the Vatican, as well as the fellow followers of the faith, are not infallible. They are human, and therefore prone to making mistakes. Just because they make a decision doesn’t mean that everyone is required to be happy with the results of the said decision.

The intentions might have been good here, but the designers, by and large, took it a little too far, and we all know that the impact of your actions usually matters more than your intent.

So no, whether Catholicism is “dominant” is irrelevant because religion is not a culture, but the Met Gala was not cultural appropriation. However, despite the intent behind the Vatican and the designers, and probably some of the celebrities as well, the execution altogether fell short. This is not to say that all attempts at combining fashion and Catholic symbolism cannot ever happen, but it shouldn’t happen the way it happened at the Met Gala.