All About Laughs
Cultural Appropriation is defined as the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society. Many people have been accused of appropriating the African-American culture to profit off of, or maybe try to “redefine” or “rewrite” the history. A very prominent actress and host, Whoopi Goldberg, is speaking up on the subject, but her words are not being well received by the community.
We have seen various celebrities become accused of appropriating culture, from the Kardashians to Beyonce, to Adele. Beyonce was accused of appropriating African culture but a few people on social media, causing a stir as it was widely viewed as a nod to her African roots.
The Kardashians have been widely accused of appropriating culture numerous times. From stealing from Black designers and passing it off as their own to the wearing of braids (or “Bo Derek” braids” as Kim Kardashian called them a few years ago), to the obvious changes of their physical appearance that heavily mirrors that of the features in Black people. It has gotten to the point where many people believe the Kardashians use the controversy to propel their brand while acting oblivious.
Lest we forget the unforgettable (for all of the wrong reasons) Pepsi ad that Kendall Jenner was a part of. The commercial was pulled from the airwaves and Internet swiftly after the backlash, but that didn’t stop the images from being burned in the heads of the public. As the New York Times appropriately stated, “Ads like this are the reason why diversity is so important. Stuff like this happens when there are no black people in the room during the creative process.”
Lately, we have been seeing photos of Justin Bieber as he debuted a brand-new look which has caused much controversy as well. The Biebs began to don dreads as his new hairstyle (following the release of his latest album “Justice” which included ‘head-scratching worthy’ sound bites from Martin Luther King Jr that were out of context).
The Internet quickly spoke up against the Canadian-born superstar, but that did not stop him from continuing to live his best loc’d up life.
Who has had enough of the terminology “cultural appropriation”, however, is Whoopi Goldberg. While on host duties at The View, the ladies spoke on the topic, and Goldberg had quite the opinion on the matter.
The topic was brought up due to the Pepsi ad in which Kendall Jenner was a part of. Goldberg said, “If we’re going to go with cultural appropriation, wear natural hair. Cause if we’re wearing white lady hair, then isn’t that appropriation? Listen, there are times where you can say, ‘You need to be more sensitive.’ But this aint one of them! This is [just] a bad commercial that didn’t work.”
The full conversation below. What are your thoughts?
