Appropriation of Black Culture

Lowery Messer

Cultural appropriation is the phenomenon in which members of a dominant culture take pieces of a non-dominant culture such as hairstyles, clothing, and religious or spiritual imagery. In the case of cultural appropriation, the members of the dominant culture borrow from non-dominant cultures for the sake of an aesthetic with little to no regard for the oppression that said culture experiences or the significance of the items they are appropriating.

Many white high-profile celebrities, generally white women, benefit off of the appropriation of black culture. They turn what black women face ridicule or discrimination for, such as cornrow braids or curvier body types, and turn them into fashion statements. For example, there is Kylie Jenner, who has a history of defending her appropriation of black culture and profiting off of it by copying black artists. Other members of the Kardashian-Jenner family have delt with cultural appropriation, notably Kim Kardashian’s popularization of a very curvy body type, which is common in black women but was only deemed “desirable” once it was on a white woman.

Another recent example of white celebrities profiting off of black culture is the backlash that singer Ariana Grande has faced for her recent music and her song “7 Rings” in particular. It is a rap and R&B song, two genres that are generally associated with black and brown artists. Grande is one of many stars to grow up in the spotlight and, as a young adult, gravitate toward black culture in order to shed her reputation of innocence for a more mature and “dangerous” status. This not only contributes to the connotation of black and brown people equating violence and unintelligence, but it also exhibits the fact that the culture of people of color is only seen as digestible for the mainstream when it is presented by white people. The particular line that many found issue with in Grande’s song states, “You like my hair?/Gee thanks, just bought it,” which calls back to the practice of getting weave or hair extensions. In black women, this is generally seen as unprofessional and uncultured, whereas for Grande, who is a white woman, it is high-fashion and a sign of her wealth.

Grande has also been accused of “blackfishing” by making herself seem more like a person of color by tanning her skin to the point that she looks darker than actual black celebrities and speaking in African American Vernacular English (AAVE). “Blackfishing” is a term referring to the phenomenon of white people, generally women, changing their skin and hair to the point that they look black or racially ambiguous. This is generally for the sake of fashion and popularity and, while many accused of “blackfishing” deny doing this (or at least doing this intentionally or maliciously), this conveys the idea that black fashion and even blackness itself is only acceptable or beautiful on a white woman.

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