The past two weekends, hipsters and various Californians alike gathered at Empire Polo Club for Coachella 2016, a famous music festival in Indio, California. Despite recent media attention regarding cultural appropriation, with celebrities like Justin Bieber and Kylie Jenner, many Coachella-goers still dressed up in stereotypical Native American and African dress. Vice published an article today with pictures of people dressed in culturally offensive outfits at Coachella, with their explanation of why they chose to wear it. Most interviewees explained that they chose their outfits because they're comfortable, despite their imminent controversy. In particular, one couple stood out to me because they didn't even know what their shirts, which were Dashikis, were. When the guy was asked what he was wearing, he responded, "A shirt?" And when the girl was asked if she felt weird in it, she said, "No. I feel free." This shows the couple's ignorance even though their clothing is a stark example of cultural appropriation.
As we discussed in class, groups like Native Americans are often portrayed as one-dimensional and wearing stereotypical clothing in movies and TV shows. As a result, people often dress up as Native Americans for Halloween, which strips them of their cultural and actual heritage. The way we see groups in media influences what people think of them as a group. This is epitomized in Halloween costumes and outfits people wear to musical festivals.
No comments:
Post a Comment