From cultural appreciation to appropriation, where do we draw the line?

In recent times, cultural exchange has become a trending topic all across the globe. Celebrities, fashion designers, and brands are constantly taking on the codes of minority cultures. But how do understand the boundary between appreciation of a culture or blindly appropriating it? Let’s understand the meaning without getting confused about the meaning of these two terms.

Cultural appropriation refers to adapting and showing love to a part of the culture such as its language, cuisine, fashion, ornaments, etc, all while acknowledging the culture and remaining prejudiced against its people. 

On the other hand, if you learn, explore, understand, and acknowledge the culture that you’re interested in and then show it in a style that you have acquired over time, that’s appreciation.

Let’s try to understand how can we explore and take part in a different culture without damaging it for our own use. 

First of all, try to understand the specifics of your own culture and know the differences with others through self-reflection. This will help you get a clear picture of your own culture that is a central part of your identity. Inappropriate use of your culture by others will offend you. Similarly, consider that people, especially minority groups, feel the same when someone uses their culture without knowing its real meaning.

Appreciating other cultures requires listening to those who belong to that culture, their stories, understand the roots behind certain aspects of their culture and use that understanding to expand your cultural perspective.

Ask yourself whether the context in which you are adopting the culture is appropriate. For instance, wearing a hijab to a pop-rock concert is out of context. But if that same singer or anyone else wears a hijab to any Muslim gathering, Islamic festivals, or sacred places, that would most likely be embraced as a celebration of culture. Try to understand deeply what a certain act or book means to a particular culture and where and when is it appropriate to adopt it.

The most important element of cultural exchange is sharing your own culture. Through appreciation, you will get to share something about yourself and learn something new about someone else’s culture. This will help you to partake in a mutual understanding of each other’s background and culture. if you are interested in knowing about someone else’s culture, you should also share a piece of your own language, food, customs, and traditions. This will result in an incredible cultural exchange and appreciation. If the person is using culture only for fashion or stylistic reasons, without fully understanding the meaning behind it, then that action is absolutely cultural appropriation.