Recently, Kendall Jenner's ad campaign for her new tequila has received backlash because she was modeling the tequila while sporting the stereotypical dress of latinoamericanos. This, we can all agree, perpetuates the harmful ideals that Americans have long implanted into their ideas about Mexico and Mexicans. Therefore, we can all say that she is appropriating their culture by misrepresenting their traditions.
Google's definition of appropriation is the "unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another."
Appreciation is the "recognition and enjoyment of the good qualities of someone or something."
It is important to note the difference between these two from the start, but... because everything is so subjective from a human's point of view, where do we draw the line? What is considered appropriation and stealing from other cultures, and what is considered appreciation?
I remember seeing a Twitter post from someone who was white-passing that lived in Japan and was posing in a photo with a kimono on. People were quick to jump to conclusions and blame her for appropriating Japanese culture when, in fact, she was half-Japanese.
Social media has provided a great way for consumers to be able to communicate about things that they think a company may be doing wrong, especially in the fashion industry when it comes to appropriation, and that's great! People are able to express their concerns about other cultures being inaccurately represented, and they can make a change. However, social media has also given a very powerful hand to ignorance.
I'm not trying to point fingers in this post. What I'm trying to acknowledge is that some people are very quick to make claims without actually doing research, like what they did for the girl just trying to demonstrate one side of her family.
We, as a society, want to accurately represent different minority cultures, and the problem comes in when members of a dominant culture try to incorporate things from smaller cultures. This is why everyone gets mad at white people for stealing from Native American culture because it "looks cute."
As someone from the Caribbean, I get extremely offended when white people speak in patois without being from the Caribbean or having any idea about the culture. When I was a young girl in elementary school, I had to go to speech therapy because of the accent I picked up from my parents. People thought my English was crap because of my accent.
Working to speak in an American accent was one of my biggest struggles as a kid, and it took me a long time to figure out how to code-switch, or rotate between my native accent and my American one, depending on the social circumstances. It's not funny, nor is it cute when someone rips something from your culture that you've always struggled with.
Someone could also argue that they just really like the accent. Certain things have different connotations for different people. Someone might not see why I would get offended at a white person attempting patois.
Because Indo-Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean people have been oppressed for so long and have had to repress parts of their culture and who they are, it's almost like a slap in the face to see someone white trying to pull off patois.
You can appreciate the culture without offending anyone. You can like Jamaican, Trini, and Guyanese accents without trying to speak in patois. Hell, you can love soca music. You can parade around for Carnival in our awesome, feathery costumes. Just don't claim it as your own, and don't change it to adjust your narrative.
Because you're stealing from us, whether you know it or not. You are stealing our culture and trying to portray it the way you want to when you say "Yeah, mon" if someone tells you they're Jamaican, or when you wear sombreros because you want to promote your tequila.