cultural appropriation: a feminist angle
"cultural appropriation" : I just recently learned of the word and what it meant. I know it is just a fancy word for a process that has always been around -- dominant culture "stealing" the acts/symbols of a marginalized culture. I have been reading up on it (see: looking around the Internet) and I think it's really interesting. Like I said, it is all very new to me.
I am wondering if part of the debate about whether or not it is valid is somehow gendered? For example, the idea that cultural acts can somehow be owned -- is this patriarchal?
At the same time, I know as a marginalized person (a woman and a lesbian) I see symbols, acts, whatever, (the rainbow, dyke style of clothing/haircuts, the female symbol, etc) that are important to me and it bothers me to think of someone else, like a male or heterosexual, using them without knowledge of marginal experiences, but rather using them only because it "looked good" -- I feel like my experiences would be trivialized and ignored, and something I used as identification/strength would be taken from me. However, I don't think cultural appropriation HAPPENS very often to white women or white lesbians (as in I don't think white women/lesbians are often victims of cultural appropriation) so this is more in THEORY that I am understanding why cultural appropriation would be so bothersome.
I'd also be interested in discussing why dreadlocks are so popular in a certain type of white, Western feminist (and even lesbian) subculture ? In this case, is it cultural appropriation?
I am wondering if part of the debate about whether or not it is valid is somehow gendered? For example, the idea that cultural acts can somehow be owned -- is this patriarchal?
At the same time, I know as a marginalized person (a woman and a lesbian) I see symbols, acts, whatever, (the rainbow, dyke style of clothing/haircuts, the female symbol, etc) that are important to me and it bothers me to think of someone else, like a male or heterosexual, using them without knowledge of marginal experiences, but rather using them only because it "looked good" -- I feel like my experiences would be trivialized and ignored, and something I used as identification/strength would be taken from me. However, I don't think cultural appropriation HAPPENS very often to white women or white lesbians (as in I don't think white women/lesbians are often victims of cultural appropriation) so this is more in THEORY that I am understanding why cultural appropriation would be so bothersome.
I'd also be interested in discussing why dreadlocks are so popular in a certain type of white, Western feminist (and even lesbian) subculture ? In this case, is it cultural appropriation?