Attending the traditional Notting Hill carnival in London, the young woman posted a photo of her outfit for the event. The choice was variously appreciated by Internet users.
In a Jamaican bikini and with Bantu knots in her hair (a traditional hairstyle from many parts of Africa), singer Adele shared her joy at participating in the carnival which celebrates Caribbean cultures.
However, his outfit soon became controversial. Indeed, many Internet users were particularly offended by the singer's hairstyle, likening it to cultural appropriation. Considering that the pop star is a young white woman who has undoubtedly never had any problems because of her hair, unlike the afro hair denigrated or prohibited in certain professions, Internet users have criticized this choice considered disrespectful. For some, it makes people who wear their hair like this invisible because of their culture, or because their hair nature leaves them no choice.
Others have come to the singer's defense, seeing it as a simple tribute to the cultures celebrated at the Notting Hill Carnival.
How to define cultural appropriation?
The term cultural appropriation resurfaces regularly in public debate, and its militant use is not always well appropriate. It is the act of borrowing elements of culture from a minority, without their consent, without understanding their meaning, by transforming them into stereotypes. It designates a complex reality, in a globalized context where it can seem difficult to separate inspirations from elsewhere and theft of culture.
As Ary Gordien, anthropologist and researcher at CNRS underlines in his article on The Conversation: “Recognizing that the appropriation of cultural elements from other cultures is a constant in human history, does not mean that these appropriations cannot be unequal or take the form of domination and exploitation.”
The most telling example of cultural appropriation came from the Kardashian sisters. Kim in particular made a name for herself by braiding her hair with glued braids, a hairstyle well known for Afro hair. Instead of explaining the community origins of her hairstyle, she simply renamed it to “Kardashian Braids,” erasing the roots of her hairstyle, while making money from the income generated by the fashion.
According to Monique Jeudy-Ballini, CNRS researcher and specialist in the subject, "The expression" cultural appropriation "designates the fact that a culture makes its own an element belonging to another culture. The use of this expression is always critical since it assumes that a culture is the sole owner of what comes from it and that any borrowing or imitation is tantamount to theft. However, the many societies of the world have never existed in a vacuum and history is made up of continual circulations. The fact of being inspired by what comes from elsewhere in order to reproduce it or reinterpret it and transform it is a universal phenomenon. For societies that have suffered from domination (colonial, economic, political, etc.), the loans to which they are the object are assimilated to exploitation and spoliation corresponding to a form of neo-colonialism. "
Still according to Monique Jeudy-Ballini:“This phenomenon which has always existed and which is universal is widely denounced today. This denunciation takes on a political meaning because it is part of the defense of socially or economically disadvantaged peoples and in the fight for the recognition of their culture. The ease with which this denunciation can be expressed on social networks inevitably has an amplifying effect. ”
To identify the phenomenon, there are some big questions to ask yourself before putting on an outfit that relates to a culture other than your own:
- be sure to understand the meaning and history of the elements you use: so as not to obscure the origin of a practice;
- do not harm those concerned: we will not reinforce potentially discriminating stereotypes by putting on these clothes;
- ensure that part of the money goes to the culture concerned.
To educate yourself on these questions in a transversal way, find here our article on anti-racism!