The Use of Cultural Appropriation in Fashion

[fashionista-ta]

That is a great story ... we all know there are other designers who have done it differently

“The number one thing to me is always, not only how we’re treated as Indigenous peoples, but how is the environment treated. I was really pleased and surprised that Valentino is ranked number one by Greenpeace for all top fashion designers. They have built into their company environmentally and socially conscious steps and they’ve also committed to eliminate all hazardous materials by the year 2020.”

I'm curious to know if this includes Terry Richardson ... the reason I'm currently boycotting the brand.


Has anyone seen this Greenpeace list? This is the first I've heard of it ...

 

[Wintergreen]

If designers blatantly copy each other given it's legal I don't see how cultural appropiation would be morally worse to be honest.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ And you've read this thread??

 

[lucy92]

An special event was cancelled in my city that would have allowed Art Museum guests to try on a kimono with couture craftsmanship made by a master kimono maker from Kyoto due to a small group of protestors that were making Museum guests uncomfortable and harassing them for trying on the kimono.

The kimono took three months to make and was a replica of a kimono worn by Claude Monet's wife in a famous portrait of her painted by her husband.

The fear was that protestors would purposely damage the priceless kimono or the Monet artwork after the Museum received threats and museum guest safety was threatened. You can see museum guests getting confronted by protestors in these images.

MFA recasts kimono days after complaints of stereotyping

(bostonglobe)

[FONT=&quot]In an episode that speaks volumes about cultural institutions, ethnic sensitivity, and the power of protest in the digital age, the Museum of Fine Arts is hastily pulling back on an event that protesters labeled a latter-day form of racist minstrelsy.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]MFA officials announced Tuesday they would recast “Kimono Wednesdays,” an attraction scheduled to run throughout July. It is extremely rare for the MFA to change exhibition plans in the wake of protests; it appears such action had not been taken for decades.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Created as a light summer distraction, “Kimono Wednesdays” invited visitors to “channel your inner Camille Monet” by donning museum-provided kimonos and posing for photos in front of Claude Monet’s “La Japonaise,” a painting of the artist’s wife wearing a kimono.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]But the event quickly raised the hackles of protesters, who charged that the museum was perpetuating racist stereotypes by presenting Asian culture as quintessentially exotic.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]At a celebration for departing MFA director Malcolm Rogers on June 24, a small group of protesters stood vigil. “This is appropriation, this is Orientalism,” read one sign. Rogers himself didn’t seem fazed, telling the Globe, “A little controversy never did any harm.” [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]But the protesters were back on July 1.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“Asian-Americans in this country have a history of being mis- or underrepresented — they’re either completely absent from the media or only depicted as Kung Fu, exoticized, mystical, dragon ladies, prostitutes, or what have you,” said Christina Wang, 29, who held a sign that read, “Try on the kimono, learn what it’s like to be a racist imperialist !!!today!!!” She added: “This event that the MFA is putting on — asking the public to come don the kimono — is part of that legacy.”
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[FONT=&quot]‘It’s fair to say we were all quite surprised by the response. We thought it would be an educational opportunity.’ [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Katie Getchell, Museum of Fine Arts deputy director [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]On Tuesday afternoon, the MFA issued a statement that read in part, “We apologize for offending any visitors.” Starting Wednesday, visitors will be able to touch, but not to wear, the kimonos, which will be presented with an educational talk until the event ends on July 29.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“It’s fair to say we were all quite surprised by the response,” said MFA deputy director Katie Getchell. “We thought it would be an educational opportunity for people to have direct encounters with works of art and understand different cultures and times better.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot]John Blanding/Globe Staff[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Protesters in the museum decried the program.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The protests have been small by almost any standard, with only two protesters showing up last Wednesday (and one person “in support”) to hold signs as patrons tried on the kimonos and posed for pictures. (Suggested hashtag: #mfaBoston.) [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Still, their presence made some visitors uncomfortable.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The museum initially stood its ground, presenting staffers with an internal memo defending the event and saying it would continue. “We don’t think this is racist,” states the memo, a copy of which was obtained by the Globe (and by protesters, who posted it online).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]But if the protests were small on the ground, the core group of activists garnered wider support online, setting up a Facebook event page and a Tumblr account. And nowhere was the outrage greater than on the MFA’s own Facebook page, where commenters decried the event as “vilely racist” and called for the museum to apologize. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“Just stop,” said Ames Siyuan, 26, a protest organizer, who declared that the MFA can “do better.” “I don’t see how this is arts education. If anything, it perpetuates Halloween costumes of various races.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Monet’s 1876 painting, which shows his wife, Camille, wearing a blazing red kimono, is thought to be the artist’s wry commentary on the craze for all things Japanese that swept Parisian art circles in the 1870s. Surrounded by fans, Camille posed in a blond wig, an intentional choice to highlight her European descent.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Art historians believe Monet was poking fun at his contemporaries and the movement known as “japonisme.” Today, however, some activists and scholars regard the 19th-century European fascination with Asia in a more sinister light, dubbing it “Orientalism,” a handmaiden of Imperialism whereby nonwestern cultures are reduced to a handful of mysterious traits — unknowable exotics and therefore less human. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“We should have a conversation about Orientalism and why it’s wrong,” said Siyuan. “They’re perpetuating Orientalism. They don’t give any context. They’re like, try this on, and that’s it. That’s not the way to do it.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]But if the protesters were certain of their message, their meaning was lost on some visitors.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“They’re obviously here to make a point,” said Katelin Hardy, who arrived at the MFA last week intending to try on a kimono. After speaking at length with the protesters, however, she decided to forgo the opportunity, even if she wasn’t “quite sure” about their objections.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“They said everyone was racist,” said Hardy. “Maybe there needs to be a little more context to it, but by the time I was done, we were leaving, and I just couldn’t.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The kimonos, which are replicas of the garment in the painting, were commissioned by the Japanese broadcaster NHK to accompany “La Japonaise” for the recent traveling exhibit “Looking East”; visitors to museums in Tokyo, Kyoto, and the MFA’s sister museum in Nagoya could try them on as part of the exhibit.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“It was very successful in Japan, and we wanted to provide an opportunity to further the visitor experience in Boston,” said Getchell, who added that the MFA presented an educational talk on the event’s inaugural night. “People really appreciated the opportunity to see the kimonos, to try it on, to feel it, to appreciate its craftsmanship, and to think about what it would be like for a Parisian woman to have worn that at the time for her husband to paint her.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]But Siyuan and Wang say that things are more complicated in the United States, where Japanese and other Asians represent an often-overlooked minority. The event amounted to “cultural appropriation,” Siyuan said. “It’s white person after white person after white person saying this is not racist.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In its statement, the MFA acknowledged the protesters’ concerns and hoped the programming change would further dialogue.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“We hope that it will be an opportunity to achieve our original goal to understand the artwork and the culture of its time,” said Getchell. “We didn’t intend to offend.”(images: bostonglobe/news.artnet.com/universalhub)[/FONT]
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[squilliam]

^the posing is a bit much and perhaps the painting is a bit racist, but it seems like people wanted to try on a beautiful artfully crafted piece of clothing. Also that girl with the surname Wang, I just thought it was interesting that her name is Chinese while kimonos are Japanese, I know she's just protesting orientalism in general but it makes me think of how westerners just lump together and homogenize the different countries and cultures of East Asia, just a random thought (nothing against the girl, that's just what I instantly thought of)

 

[Phuel]

Thanks lucy for the article.

I can understand both sides. We've discussed this type of appropriation to great depths in the previous posts so I'll spare everyone the remix, and I still believe that the intentions are not malicious and at best is more about introducing a culture-- and hopefully its people, through a design. It may not be the best means to introduce someone to any culture, and some won't even care for the people and its culture-- just that they look cool and pretty wearing these pieces. But I'm not offended someone finding a design of my culture beautiful and would like to try it on.

My god, there are worse things I can think of than that. I actually find someone like Gwen Stefani surrounding herself with 4 Japanese girls and naming them Love, Angel, Music and Baby and telling the interviewer to not talk to them because they're meant to be a figment of her "imagination" more "offensive". Not that I find Gwen's silly concept of unintentionally reducing these women to her imagination really offensive, since she's being "artistic" and all that. I just feel why be offended by someone admiring a garment of your culture-- just like Gwen obviously admires and is inspired by Japanese pop culture. Sheesh, that garment, no matter how steeped in history it may be to me, is just material. My being as an individual is more meaningful than that.

In this day, there's no excuse to hold the attitude that a culture's cool and pretty designs should be the only object of fascination and fetishism of that people. Once again, I'm of the belief that material objects/ designs/ signifiers are not the sole presentations of a person and those that do want to latch onto this outdated mentality are being ignorant. Some will adopt that attitude-- and it's really a mater of choice, but that shows their shallowness-- of both sides of the debate.

I do think that Asians in general have been brushed aside by the PC-types when advocating "racial equality/ diversity". And the kind of racism and discrimination towards Asians seems more tolerated than of other minority groups, so I can understand the protesters sensitivity and even anger here. But I do believe they're lashing out at the wrong event in this case.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ You may not be offended, but I'm offended by anyone's being silenced--especially inappropriate for women, and even more so for minority women from a different race than the person silencing them. Ms Stefani needs to find a brand-new outlet for her 'art'

 

[ad030817]

Thank you for the article - I find this topic very thought provoking & I respect each & every comment.
However I find it very interesting that the protesters have their own ethnicity - none of which appears to be Japanese - yet they are offended? The kimonos where commissioned by a Japanese company in Japan to celebrate Japanese cultural influences. How is this offensive or racist?

 

[fashionista-ta]

You make interesting points. There are those, I've noticed, who specialize in being offended.


The original painting could certainly be seen as cultural appropriation ... but I'm not sure the concept as recognized now even existed then. The painting is now an antique, and a cultural artifact in its own right.


It sounds like it was the threats that sealed the fate of this exhibit. I like the interactive aspect of it ... so often art can be a bit staid, and of course you can't usually touch it. This exhibit would have been very tactile, and sounds like a great experience.


I am Scottish, Irish, etc. ... I don't have a problem with huge numbers of people who aren't Irish wearing green on St Patrick's Day, and while technically only descendants should be wearing a clan tartan, I would never create the least confrontation over that. I also don't feel a personal connection to "No Irish need apply," etc. A personal connection to the wounds of the past is still alive for many people--and in some cases the legacy of those wounds is still very much with us, so it makes sense that it would be.

 

[squilliam]

I wonder how well those protesters understand their heritage and the history of East Asians in the west. Most Americans don't even realize that Asia is more than just China and Japan, and just how diverse it is. I also find it strange, like Kelles said, that it seems like someone Chinese is protesting something that's about Japan (especially since China has a strained relationship with Japan).

 

[fashionista-ta]

PS Looks like the protesters are quite safe from any harm they could potentially incur from an interest in fashion

 

[ultramarine]

My god, there are worse things I can think of than that. I actually find someone like Gwen Stefani surrounding herself with 4 Japanese girls and naming them Love, Angel, Music and Baby and telling the interviewer to not talk to them because they're meant to be a figment of her "imagination" more "offensive". Not that I find Gwen's silly concept of unintentionally reducing these women to her imagination really offensive, since she's being "artistic" and all that. I just feel why be offended by someone admiring a garment of your culture-- just like Gwen obviously admires and is inspired by Japanese pop culture. Sheesh, that garment, no matter how steeped in history it may be to me, is just material. My being as an individual is more meaningful than that.

In this day, there's no excuse to hold the attitude that a culture's cool and pretty designs should be the only object of fascination and fetishism of that people. Once again, I'm of the belief that material objects/ designs/ signifiers are not the sole presentations of a person and those that do want to latch onto this outdated mentality are being ignorant. Some will adopt that attitude-- and it's really a mater of choice, but that shows their shallowness-- of both sides of the debate.

Its funny how you so quickly point fingers at Ms Stefani when you have no idea of what you are talking about.

She has already adressed many times about the fact why she hired the four girls to promote her album, and if you REALLY did care not to make "ignorant" comments, you should know the deep admiration Ms Stefani has had for japanese culture for ages now, which can be seen since her wearing getta sandals on the "Sunday morning" music video (Remember, she IS from California and the mix of cultures, especially asian is quite big there) or the lyrics to her song "Harajuku girls" which is contained on the aforementioned L.A.M.B. album.
As well, japanese culture borrows heavily from western culture, the whole ganguro girl/yamamba/mamba thing is quite out there, but Ms Stefani herself is QUITE aware of it.
To quote her "Harajuku girls" song:

Style detached from content
A fatal attraction to cuteness
Style is style
Fashion is fashion
Girl, you got style.

Of course we are talking of people here, if course everything has a meaning, but she clearly has a different approach to it. Like the japanese do.

 

[Spike413]

To me, I think it's utterly sad that such a potentially inspiring and enriching experience was cancelled, and furthermore that a protest about a garment should ever reach a point where a museum should have to fear that a priceless work of art will be damaged if they don't kowtow to the protestors or that guests of the museum are harassed by anyone simply because those people disagree with their actions. That's not a protest anymore, that "do as I say, or else" mentality is basically terrorism.

What's next, kilt-style skirts? Lord knows kilts have a ton of significance to the cultures with whom they're associated. Although why stop there, why not protest the use of tartan plaids entirely, seeing as how they stem from different clans to whom they no doubt hold a great deal of historical importance. Maybe harem-style pants as well, and paisley, and sari-like dresses with Indian-inspired beadwork.

 

[squilliam]

^it seems like cultural appropriation is more offensive when it's done by westerners to people that were historically hurt by westerners in some way. Like the whole clan kilt thing, maybe it's not as significant because the Scottish are themselves westerners and supposedly did not go through the same abuse

 

[Phuel]

Its funny how you so quickly point fingers at Ms Stefani when you have no idea of what you are talking about.

She has already adressed many times about the fact why she hired the four girls to promote her album, and if you REALLY did care not to make "ignorant" comments, you should know the deep admiration Ms Stefani has had for japanese culture for ages now, which can be seen since her wearing getta sandals on the "Sunday morning" music video (Remember, she IS from California and the mix of cultures, especially asian is quite big there) or the lyrics to her song "Harajuku girls" which is contained on the aforementioned L.A.M.B. album.
As well, japanese culture borrows heavily from western culture, the whole ganguro girl/yamamba/mamba thing is quite out there, but Ms Stefani herself is QUITE aware of it.
To quote her "Harajuku girls" song:

Of course we are talking of people here, if course everything has a meaning, but she clearly has a different approach to it. Like the japanese do.

LOL

Japanese pop culture may be influenced by Americana-- but I'm pretty certain the Japanese culture is an ancient culture that's not influenced by the West-- at all. Just like Gwen may appreciate Japanese pop culture and its fashions, but quoting song of her attraction to "Harajuku Girls" doesn't exactly endear her to Japanese culture and its rich history: Her attraction to all things Japanese may just be purely superficial and shallowness-- if we're to go by your examples.

It's all too easy for you to point your finger at me and tell me that I'm ignorant and have no idea what I'm talking about, when to be frank, it's you that really don't seem to understand my point-- which is: despite Gwen's obvious admiration for Japanese pop culture and fashion, and with no racist malice towards her Japanese dancers (read my post again please), she still unintentionally managed to offend some who saw her as reducing these women to nothing but props when she creatively suggested to an interviewer to not speak to the Japanese women seated around her since "they're only a figment of her imagination", probably as a reference to her Alice In Wonderland persona of the LAMB period. It's the stereotype some still hold onto of Japanese women as subservient "exotic" accessories that Gwen's scenario may have conjured up-- no matter how much she may genuinely admire Japanese (pop) culture.

And I do believe she meant no harm-- just a poorly thought out concept being executed by her in the name of novelty. I brought this particular instance up as a reference to the article lucy shared since I also believe that the MFA, along with all those that participated also had no intentions of insulting/ offending the Japanese culture with their Monet display and event. As fashionista-ta pointed out, there are always those that specialize in being offended.

Hope this makes my point clearer for you to understand.

BTW, I'm actually glad that of the trio of protesters shown in the article, one is of East Asian background, while another is of Chinese background. This show of solidarity of Asians is needed when there's often division, prejudice and discrimination amongst these Asian communities.

 

[rosiecheeks]

^it seems like cultural appropriation is more offensive when it's done by westerners to people that were historically hurt by westerners in some way. Like the whole clan kilt thing, maybe it's not as significant because the Scottish are themselves westerners and supposedly did not go through the same abuse

It is. And I agree with that sentiment in fact. The West has so long appropriated land, resources and whatnot, it is time to stop. Even if most people are doing it unconsciously.

But for the kimono event, I think it was very wrong of them to cancel the event, instead of sitting down with the protesters and talking about their objections. When it comes to it, there is nothing whatsoever racist about letting visitors try on a kimono. Stereotyping perhaps, but not racist?! Surely if you would provide more context on this particular kimono, on the practice of Orientalism etc. this could have been a very fruitful experience for visitors.

 

[Spike413]

It is. And I agree with that sentiment in fact. The West has so long appropriated land, resources and whatnot, it is time to stop. Even if most people are doing it unconsciously.

But for the kimono event, I think it was very wrong of them to cancel the event, instead of sitting down with the protesters and talking about their objections. When it comes to it, there is nothing whatsoever racist about letting visitors try on a kimono. Stereotyping perhaps, but not racist?! Surely if you would provide more context on this particular kimono, on the practice of Orientalism etc. this could have been a very fruitful experience for visitors.

But could that fairly be said of the West in relation to Japan? I mean, from my fuzzy recollections of all the years spent learning about world history in school, Japan hasn't exactly been "taken advantage" of the way that, say, various African or Indigenous American cultures/peoples have. Sure, there's a complex history between America and Japan -- on both sides of the relationship, mind you -- but unless I'm remembering incorrectly Japan and Japanese culture haven't exactly been pillaged by the big, bad White people while Japanese people have suffered at our hands since time immemorial.

I mean that seems to be one of the main arguments used against borrowing cultural influences, that Western cultures so often take it from cultures and peoples that it has subjugated in some way or taken advantage of throughout history. So, if the historic relationship between the two cultures hasn't been one of supreme dominance and submission, and if in fact both cultures in question -- here American/European and Japanese -- have borrowed liberally from each other, shouldn't that theoretically change the so-called rules, or should Western white people still be shamed for admiring the way a kimono looks enough to want to incorporate one into their wardrobe?

And if the latter is the case, how come nobody would take any of the elegant gothic lolita types to task for essentially parodying the way that Western women dressed when they were in mourning for their dead loved ones? I'd say that could be construed as pretty disrespectful, no? Or at the very least insensitive to the historical significance of the clothes they've been inspired by.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^it seems like cultural appropriation is more offensive when it's done by westerners to people that were historically hurt by westerners in some way. Like the whole clan kilt thing, maybe it's not as significant because the Scottish are themselves westerners and supposedly did not go through the same abuse

There were the Highland Clearances, which caused the Scottish diaspora. I believe there are more Scots in Canada than in Scotland today (never mind the US, etc.), as a result of that. Still today there is a strong friendship between Scotland and France. But that was white-on-white abuse (for lack of a better term).


Wrt the exhibit, I wonder if it came down to an insurance issue, or something like that. The protesters in the picture don't look like loose cannons to me (though they do look like they were looking for something to protest), but I guess the real problem was the anonymous threats. Probably the legal department or someone similar ended up making the decision ...

 

[squilliam]

There were the Highland Clearances, which caused the Scottish diaspora. I believe there are more Scots in Canada than in Scotland today (never mind the US, etc.), as a result of that. Still today there is a strong friendship between Scotland and France. But that was white-on-white abuse (for lack of a better term).


Wrt the exhibit, I wonder if it came down to an insurance issue, or something like that. The protesters in the picture don't look like loose cannons to me (though they do look like they were looking for something to protest), but I guess the real problem was the anonymous threats. Probably the legal department or someone similar ended up making the decision ...

Yeah, scottish, Irish, eastern European...they've all been abused especially in the US, but as you said it's "white on white" so it's often overlooked. Japan has been abused by the US and has abused the US but has also caused a lot of abuse to its neighbors, but of course now US/Japan relations are alright..somehow I don't think young fashion loving Japanese people would feel so offended by some Americans trying on a kimono, maybe the older generation but I somewhat doubt there would be much anger.

 

[ultramarine]

LOL

Japanese pop culture may be influenced by Americana-- but I'm pretty certain the Japanese culture is an ancient culture that's not influenced by the West-- at all. Just like Gwen may appreciate Japanese pop culture and its fashions, but quoting song of her attraction to "Harajuku Girls" doesn't exactly endear her to Japanese culture and its rich history: Her attraction to all things Japanese may just be purely superficial and shallowness-- if we're to go by your examples.

It's all too easy for you to point your finger at me and tell me that I'm ignorant and have no idea what I'm talking about, when to be frank, it's you that really don't seem to understand my point-- which is: despite Gwen's obvious admiration for Japanese pop culture and fashion, and with no racist malice towards her Japanese dancers (read my post again please), she still unintentionally managed to offend some who saw her as reducing these women to nothing but props when she creatively suggested to an interviewer to not speak to the Japanese women seated around her since "they're only a figment of her imagination", probably as a reference to her Alice In Wonderland persona of the LAMB period. It's the stereotype some still hold onto of Japanese women as subservient "exotic" accessories that Gwen's scenario may have conjured up-- no matter how much she may genuinely admire Japanese (pop) culture.

And I do believe she meant no harm-- just a poorly thought out concept being executed by her in the name of novelty. I brought this particular instance up as a reference to the article lucy shared since I also believe that the MFA, along with all those that participated also had no intentions of insulting/ offending the Japanese culture with their Monet display and event. As fashionista-ta pointed out, there are always those that specialize in being offended.

Hope this makes my point clearer for you to understand.

BTW, I'm actually glad that of the trio of protesters shown in the article, one is of East Asian background, while another is of Chinese background. This show of solidarity of Asians is needed when there's often division, prejudice and discrimination amongst these Asian communities.

Now I see.

Hum, to be able to tell how truly Gwen feels and how into the culture she is .. well, I guess only her knows about it.

I guess my point is defending a culture which as well does the same we criticize, that is why I pointed out the ganguro girl example, which yes, started pop, and youthful, but some people had a level of commitment so deep they got married and had kids and dressed ganguro all the time (so something that is pop ends up taking over the persona altogether, all the time).

I find this fascinating and as well I question myself how different is to borrow from a different culture from borrowing from a different class, like many designers have done (Chanel with sportswear, and some others). Of course they are completely different things, but this "inspired by" keeps repeating on every fashion design level ...