"North West got a Head Start on Racism with a Cultural Appropriation-Themed Birthday Party!"
Alexis Rhiannon
Crushable Website
August 2014
Dear Ms. Rhiannon,
I am writing this letter to share my opinion on your recent article regarding North West's culturally appropriated-themed birthday party. There is no question that North West's first birthday party was highly popular throughout social media. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West proudly paraded their daughter with a lavish party filled with celebrity guests, carnival rides and teepees; but what especially attracted me to your article was the different perspective that was applied to the topic- no one acknowledged the cultural appropriation contained in the party's theme.
There are certain restricted and unrestricted symbols in each culture; For example from Canada and the United States, military medals and certain awards representing achievement in literacy, music or other fields cannot be possessed or imitated by just anyone, as they represent achievements earned according to a specific criteria. Yes, some people may be use these symbols but they have to understand what the symbols represent and then purposefully desecrate or alter them in order to make a statement. For the most part headdresses and other symbolic native-America items, which were used throughout the birthday party, are restricted items.
In particular, the headdress worn by most non-natives imitate those worn by various Plains nations. These headdresses are further restricted within the cultures to men who have done certain things to earn them. It is very rare for women in Plains cultures to wear these headdresses, and their ability to do so is again quite restricted. So unless you are a native male from a Plains nation who has earned a headdress, or you have been given permission to wear one (like in ceremonial cases), then it would be strongly unexplainable for how wearing one is anything other than disrespectful. Indeed, it was seen that headdresses were worn throughout the party (Khloe Kardashian posted pictures to social media). I could sense the sarcasm especially towards the end of your article and I agree that ceremonial and sacred cultural items should not be imitated for the sake of fashion and design. I especially agree on your claim stating that the theme is exposing Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's daughter to ignorance; it is teaching her to behave with lack of repeat to other cultures.
In conclusion, it is agreed that North West's first birthday party was culturally appropriated; it didn not acknowledge the significance of all the items that were included in the Native American culture, which exposed ignorance. It is suggested that the family should have been inspired by the Native American culture and should not of have appropriated it, especially without fully understanding what their items spiritually symbolize.
Thank you,
Zena Agabani
Work Cited:
"North West Got A Head Start On Racism With A Cultural Appropriation-Themed Birthday Party!" Crushable RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014. <http://www.crushable.com/2014/06/23/entertainment/north-west-racist-birthday-party-native-american-cultural-appropriation-khloe-kardashian/>.
Web. <http%3A%2F%2Fapihtawikosisan.com%2Fhall-of-shame%2Fan-open-letter-to-non-natives-in-headdresses%2F>.
No comments:
Post a Comment