Zoe Holden

Darien Mangiapane
Kourtney Peterson
Teaunna Robinson
Remy Simpson
Katlin Watts
Appropriation of Black Culture
Today in the United States, many trends that occur in what society deems as popular
culture has been appropriated from many cultures. However, the culture that is constantly being
appropriated is black culture. Many aspects of African American culture such as the language,
music, ways of dress, physical features, and hairstyles are consistently being appropriated instead
of appreciated. When discussing appreciation versus appropriation of a culture, there is an
extremely thin line. Cultural appreciation consists of one learning about and respecting anothers
culture and customs simply from having a genuine interest. When one appropriates anothers
culture, the group who is deemed dominant in society, essentially extracts what they deem
valuable elements of the subordinate groups culture. When appropriating, the dominant group
has no knowledge or background information on any of the elements that they are taking from
the subordinate groups culture. EverdayFeminist explains, Cultural appropriation is a real issue
because it demonstrates the imbalance of power that still remains between cultures that have
been colonized and ex-colonized.
Many know the United States to be nicknamed the Melting Pot, because of the
multitude of the different types of races, ethnicities and cultures that indispensably make the
country what it is today. However, the United States being a capitalistic functioning society,
takes elements of those same cultures who were once or remain oppressed, by turning those
cultural elements into trends or popular culture in order to make a profit. One may find the
controversy in this because whites, who are deemed the dominant society in America, didnt

accept and oppressed people of color for having their various cultures, while in turn they
continue to take elements of those very same cultures that they oppressed, by creating a system
to generate a profit.
Sarah Baartman and Josephine Baker are two of the first black women depicted as
Jezebels or the modern term, video vixens. (Collins 120) Sarah Baartman, was born in 1789.
She was discovered and then put on display in a circus act as the freak of nature. Many would
pay to simply observe her unusually large, buttocks and breasts. Many whites believed that
blacks were naturally oversexualized, deeming them inferior. Whites used Sarah Baartman, a full
figured woman, to validate their theory, proving that whites were indeed superior to blacks.
Later, Baartman moved to Paris and to no surprise, the French took interest in her body. After the
French lost interest in paying to see her body, Baartman resorted to prostitution, later dying at the
age of twenty-five. The French created a plaster cast of her body, while also taking her brain and
vagina, pickling and putting them on display in a museum. One hundred and sixty years later,
Baartmans remains were still on display. It was not until 1974, when her remains were removed
from the museum. Biography.com, explains that It took the French eight years to create a bill,
which allowed their scientific curiosity to be returned to South Africa. In January 2002, Sarah
Baartmans remains were finally returned to South Africa and on August 9th 2002, South
Africas womens day, she was buried.
Josephine Baker a singer, dancer, actress, was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1920. Like
many African Americans she was born into poverty and wanted a better life. She learned to
dance and take interest in broadway. Later she moved to France and became one the highest paid
performers of her time. At the time, the only roles for black singers and actresses was the
Mammy role. Josephine Baker refused to play a Mammy, therefore she decided to dance in

what whites deemed tribal wear. Her costume consisted of only a skirt made of 16 bananas. From
all of the money that she earned from her performances, she bought an estate in France and
moved her family from Missouri, to France. Josephine Baker was also an active speaker and
advocate of the Civil Rights Movement. The NAACP, later honored her by making May 20th,
Josephine Baker Day.
Sarah Baartman and Josephine Baker were on seen as sex symbols by whites because of their
body structure. Whites only viewed them as overlysexualized freaks of nature, and their talents
were only recognized in connection with being naked.
The structure of the Black womans body is known throughout society because of whites
conscious efforts to ridicule and oppression. Ironically, in 2015, the attitude of the Black
Womans body has changed. Today women of all races, white women in particular, tend to alter
their own bodies in order to achieve the same body structure of a black womans body. These
alterations consist of making their lips, buttocks and breasts appear more larger by either
injections or adding implants. Statistics from the ASPSs Plastic Surgery Report, suggests that the
surgical procedure of Buttocks implants went up 98% from the year of 2000 to 2014. These same
statistics also suggest that surgical procedures such as lip injections, went up 40% from the year
2000 to 2014. Many white celebrity icons such as Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, are extremely
open and proud about their butt and lip enhancements, defining them as physical features needed
to exemplify beauty.
Many people, particularly black women, may find this as offensive because, black
women such were seen as freaks of nature for having these attributes. They were only seen an
overlysexualized light. However today, many white women are getting surgical procedures to
achieve the body structures that were once laughed at. When white women achieve these same

body structures they are seen as beautiful, attractive and desirable. In essence, white women are
appropriating black women because themselves and society only feel that large buttocks, breasts
and lips are acceptable and beautiful if white women have them.
This same act of appropriation of the black womans physical features can also be seen in
high fashion. Nydailynews, states that In 2009, French Vogue magazine issued a 14 page editorial
spread with a white, dutch models whole body painted in black face, along with her being
dressed in traditional African attire. This definitely exemplifies appropriation of black culture. It
also bring one to question, why the French Vogue magazine couldnt simply hire a black female
model? Many white models are commonly painted in blackface, wearing african prints and
hairstyles such as dreadlocks and braids. If these elements of Black culture are viewed as what is
beautiful and artistic, why arent black women who are from the various cultures, and who
naturally have these features or hairstyles arent hired?
Also in 2015, many of todays most popular songs, dances and slang are derived from
black culture. On social media websites such as SnapChat, Instagram, Vine and Facebook, many
whites have created videos and posts that show them dancing, and listening to rap/hip-hop and
using the vernacular of African Americans. They create videos of themselves performing dances
such as the Whip and Nae-Nae because they feel that it is cool. White celebrities such as
Miley Cyrus are idolized for their ability to do the dance twerking which derived from black
culture. Some may view this as showing appreciation of black culture, but others view it as
cultural appropriation. It can be viewed as cultural appropriation because at one time in history,
whites dressed up in blackface, making a mockery of how black people dance and speak as a
way of entertainment. The difference in today, is that they are not painted in black face. It can

also be classified as cultural appropriation because they may still oppress and reject blacks for
their vernacular, but only see the vernacular as acceptable if they are using it.
In conclusion, many of the elements of black culture such as the black womans physical
features, hair, fashion, music, dances and vernacular are all appropriated by whites and made into
the trends or popular culture of America. Whites have and continue to oppress Blacks simply
because of their cultural attributes. Not only have they rejected blacks for having these cultural
attributes, but they make a tremendous amount of money from these same elements of black
culture. Many whites do not recognize, appreciate or accept the beauty in black women and
black culture, only if whites are appropriating them.