Cultural Appropriation 101 by *Kxhara on deviantART
http://kxhara.deviantart.com/journal/Cultural-Appropriation-101-259795232
This news article touches upon subjects that are sensitive to many people. Ordinarily, I try my best to avoid drama and online conflict, but I feel that this growing fashion trend needs to be addressed before it becomes the popular thing to do. It is my hope that through calm, rational discussion and input from users, we can start a dialogue that puts an end to ignorance and puts artists on the path towards creating beautiful works of art that do not unintentionally offend various groups of people.
The issue I am speaking of is Cultural Appropriation.
I started noticing the beginning of this trend around last summer. Art and fashion seem to have taken a turn towards incorporating stereotypes of First Nations people, creating photoshoots, clothing and artwork featuring warbonnets, feathered headbands, eagles, dream catchers, moccasins and more. This fashion trend appropriates the culture of First Nations people, usually without consent, or thought for what is considered sacred. Often, profit is made by non-First Nations people from First Nations cultural heritage being incorporated into artwork without permission. This is part of the reason why many people initially find such artwork offensive.
