Cultural Appropriation

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Coachella is known best for its great music, art, entertainment and bucket loads of cultural appropriation! 

Believe it or not it IS possible to watch live music and be entertained and go on with your day-to-day business without wearing and exploiting items of another culture.

Why is Cultural Appropriation an issue?

1. It reduces people into bing just "exotic"

2. It groups the whole culture into one hug group deeming them as the same when that is simply not the case.

3.It steals the cultural identity of others in order to be deemed as "cool" "quirky" or my personal favourite "the need to self express".

Here’s a list of what NOT to wear at Coachella and in general (if you are not a part of the culture)

Native Headdresses

"In Native Cultures, both feathers and face paint are earned through actions and deeds that bring honor to both tribes and nations. Individuals (outside the community) who wear feathers or face paint were not given rights or permission to wear them" - Dennis Zotigh, Cultural Specialist

Rena Lovelis from Hey Violet

Dreadlocks

Please if you are not black do NOT put your hair in dreadlocks...Dreadlocks have a history, black slaves whilst on their way to America from Africa naturally grew dreadlocks but were quickly cut of by their slave masters who deemed them as "dreadful" when they reached America. Black people for years have been abused verbally and physically for having their hair styled this way therefore it is disgusting that non-blacks have the audacity to wear their hair this way in order to keep up with their #cool #trendy #hipster look for their tumblr followers! The fact that a black person with dreads is deemed as "lazy" "dirty" "druggie" compared to the reactions that most white people with dreads get is disgusting and appalling considering it is not their culture to take.

"It's embarrassing that white people tangle their hair and refuse to wash it for weeks on end to mirror a style that has cultural significance, especially when the whole point of black people reclaiming locs was an act against white defiance. It's also offensive that white people think that black people's hair = dirty hair because they avoid washing their hair which 1. black people don't 2. black people's hair doesn't get as dirty as theirs in the first place" - @springbreakors

Bindis 

Kendall and Kylie Jenner

Due to the rapid increase of Bindis being worn at Coachella many have rightfully taken to twitter in order to #reclaimthebindi. A bindi symbolises many aspects of Hindu culture, with a red dot on the forehead most commonly to represent married women. A bindi can also represent strength, energy and concentration it also means the third eye it is not just a "decoration" for your face. 

"[At First] I thought 'wow people are finally accepting indians! White people are accepting us!' then I realised that's not the case at all they are using it as a fashion statement whilst if my mum was to wear a bindi she would be harassed and people would laugh at the "red dot" on her head...white people are turning our culture into a fashion statement and that makes me sad. Hinduism/Desi cultures are SO beautiful and all people care about are the aesthetics and that just truly makes me upset" - @kingnyaz

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