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anubhavkianubhuti23:

दरवाजे की हर दस्तक पर
तेरे होने की सोचता हूँ
दुनिया की हर आवाज में
तेरी ही आवाज ढूढ़ता हूँ
हर खुबसूरत चहरे में
तेरा ही चेहरा देखता हूँ
दिल की हर धड़कन में
तुझे महसूस करता हूँ
हर एक शब्द में
तेरा नाम खोजता हूँ
तूने जो फासले बनाये
उन्हें मिटाने की सोचता हूँ
दरवाजे की हर दस्तक पर
तेरे होने की सोचता हूँ
(अनुभव तिवारी)

sbgarrety:

I do not understand why certain things belong to certain cultures or people.

I am a very privileged white girl living in a first world country.

But I think
henna tattoos and be dies
drag performers
dread locks, weave, braids and corn rows

ARE ATTRACTIVE. THEY LOOK FREAKIN’ COOL.

Drag makeup is hella fun and the people who do it are crazy talented

Henna tattoos are beautiful and they don’t hurt
Or last forever

Braids can be beautiful and I was introduced to dreadlocks in the goth scene and I think they look astounding. Frankly I WISH MY HAIR COULD DO THAT. But it’s too thin and short.

So what I need to know is why my going to drag shows getting hennas and wishing I could make some hair styles work is so bad? Why is it such a big deal. I am not even kidding please educate me. Because I fail to see how my likening something or wanting to participate in something is a problem.

Cultural appropriation is when somebody adopts aspects of a culture that’s not their own. it is a a particular power dynamic in which members of a dominant culture take elements from a culture of people who have been systematically oppressed by that dominant group..

you, the very privileged white girl, belong to the dominant group.

asians, black people, etc, belong to the culture of people who have been systematically oppressed by that dominant group.

I am Indian, so I am only going to educate you on my respective culture. you can apply what I say about bindis, mendhi, etc, to drag makeup, dread locks, weaves, braids and corn rows because i don’t want to misspeak on other cultures.

when most south asian have historically worn bindis in public in america and Europe, we have been mocked and harassed. we have been put down, called names (including the label terrorist), and bullied, for wearing a beautiful piece of our culture that holds cultural value, meaning and significance.
now, in 2015, when the people who harassed and mocked us for wearing bindis, start to think bindis are fashionable, they can wear it. and they believe that only they can wear it. and they don’t even TRY to understand the value meaning and significance it holds.
if white people wear bindis, they’re trendy, bohemian, “totally coachella.”
if south asian women wear bindis, they’re mocked and harassed. WE’RE CALLED TERRORISTS FOR WEARING A BEAUTIFUL PART OF OUR OWN CULTURE THAT HOLDS CULTURAL VALUE, MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE.
now, if you’re white and have a south asian friend that invites you to a south asian party, and she gives you bindi, you can wear it! your south asian friend tells you what the bindi is, and what significance it holds in their culture. you wear the bindi. you are then allowed to wear the bindi. she is INVITING you to understand her culture. that is CULTURAL APPRECIATION.
now after that party, if you have an extra bindi and want to wear it to coachella or to a party to look trendy, fashionable and bohemian, YOU ARE BEING DISRESPECTFUL. South Asian women don’t even wear bindis to events like that! you don’t see us showing up at clubs with bindis on!!! that is because it is not the place to wear it. after being educated about the culture and the cultural significance of the bindi, and then wearing it to be “totes coachella,” then you are being a CULTURAL APPROPRIATOR.
there is a difference between Cultural APPROPRIATION and Cultural APPRECIATION.

disahara:

white people who get mad when we call out cultural appropriation are literally expressing their discomfort at not being able to further exploit cultures their ancestors destroyed and stole from :)

artsy-hijabi:

Henna has such a rich history within our cultures and white people still profit massively off of it. The amount of famous white henna artists which have opened up henna schools and courses and constantly invite other white henna artists is seriously revolting. I only see a very small handfull of brown henna artists which are instafamous and they don’t even have half as much recognition as these appropiating whites do.

itsahpandah:

Sooooo apparently the Romani people ( who were racially oppressed and referred to as gypsies) originated from the Rajasthani section of India. Which makes sense, a lot of my Indian clothes were used by my friends and I as “gypsies costumes”. I would dress up like Esmeralda when I was younger because I finally found a Disney lady who had my curls and brown skin and I loved her. I loved her righteousness but then what makes me different from the white girls (and other races to be fair) who year after year dress as “slutty jasmine” ( which I loathe…btw).

If I use Romani culture as a costume, I’m also offending someone’s culture and traditions just as when my white friends would say why don’t you dress up as Jasmine, isn’t she Indian too? Now I know she isn’t and I know she isn’t even appreciated for her culture, she’s sexualized just like so many other “exotic” women. Because no way in hell would Jasmine be wearing what she wears as a Disney princess in modern day Iran.

My point is that I love and appreciate Esmeralda’s fire and social justice but dressing up as her now isn’t the way to do it. I’ve researched so much into modern Romani culture and their persecution in Europe by the Bohemian people of Modern day Czech Republic and Hungary. But I want to learn more. If someone just asked about how being Indian is different from being Persian (besides the obvious), I would more than love to explain to you.

So if there’s anyone who’d like to add to my cultural knowledge, please please message me. Because I’d love to learn.

Because I’m truly sorry for culturally appropriating.