One of the biggest topics of discussion lately is on white celebrities being accused of 'appropriating' African-American culture. From my understanding, one can only be accused of cultural appropriation in this country when they are of the majority (white Americans), otherwise it is seen as assimilation, which is when the minority adopts elements of the majority's culture in order to survive and fit in.
One star in particular has been receiving a lot of backlash from the black community lately for posting a picture of herself to Instagram with the hashtag, "I woke up like diss." That's right, none other than Kylie Jenner.
The huge controversy is that in the photo Kylie is wearing cornrows. Cornrows are a protective style usually worn by African-American women.... you can see where I'm going here.
Once fellow star Amandla Stenberg saw the photo, she thought it was her duty to call Kylie out. Stenberg accused Kylie of basically trying to look and act black, but not using her fame to assist black people in the fight against police brutality or racism. Here is where people start to disagree with me because as a black female, I personally see no problem with Kylie wearing her hair in this style. And I honestly don't see why Amanda and others made it such huge deal.
During the time period that this photo was taken, Kylie was wearing a wig. It is recommended by hair professionals that when choosing to wear wigs that you put your natural hair in a protective style. People accusing her of appropriating were really just reaching in my opinion, trying to make a problem out of nothing.
And as for her not fighting against police brutality or racism, my response is, you are really dumb if you look to a 17-year-old reality television star to seriously influence and be involved or even care about race relations or police brutality. Yes, it would be nice if everyone cared about police brutality and inequalities in this country, but let's be real, not everyone does. And not to say that Kylie doesn't care, but I'm also not going to put that much pressure and responsibility on a 17-year-old girl to 'fight for my rights.' I hate to say it, but I really think Ms. Stenberg was really just looking for a way to be relevant (her character died in the first 20 minutes of "Hunger Games;" she was basically an extra) and from Kylie's snarky reply involving Jaden, it seems like the two may have had a rocky past involving him. So Stenberg just saw Kylie as her way too the spotlight.
'Cultural Appropriation' is really a phrase that should be forgotten. I love seeing people try things from other cultures, especially my culture! And I know I enjoy learning things about other cultures and experiencing what they do. So in the fight for us all to be equal, shouldn't white Americans be allowed to learn and share in the rituals of other cultures also? In my experience, it can truly only lead to better understanding and acceptance. Let's stop making big deals out of little things and all stand together to make a REAL difference.
Check out Bieber agreeing with me below:
