(This post & the one on Birdie’s blog are a dual effort and meant to be read together, so go check out her’s too!)
Via himitsuhana on flickr, all rights reserved.
So, a few days ago, Birdie and I were talking about the directions our styles are moving in (which seems to be a similar place!). I used the phrase “steampunk Norse shaman” & she used the phrase “future vintage Voodoo Queen”. This got me thinking about using different cultures as inspiration for fashion, and where we need to draw the line when it comes to that.
This is a recurring problem in fashion and one of my pet peeves. I’ll never forget reading a post (this was the last post I ever read on that blog!) where a non-native blogger gushed about how beautiful Navajo ceremonial dresses were and then said she’d love to own one and would pair it with moccasins for “that Indian look”. I don’t even think I need to snark on that, really.
So why don’t the phrases “Voodoo Queen” and “Norse shaman” raise my hackles the same way?
“Norse shaman” is easy. I don’t have a problem using that term because the majority of my ancestry is Scandinavian & I’m heathen*. So to draw inspiration from what I already consider parts of my culture seems perfectly natural.
But then, what is ‘culture’? The two definitions that are of importance here are:
5. the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group; the youth culture; the drug culture.
6. Anthropology. the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another.
The first definition seems pretty similar to what I think of as a subculture, and the second is the most commonly referred to definition. In this case, I think there’s a bit of a blur – Christianity is so ingrained into American culture as a whole that to be not-Christian (and not just having a lack of Christianity, but having a different belief system/worldview entirely) constitutes such a large difference that I’d say it counts as a cultural difference.
“Voodoo Queen” is a bit more complicated. After thinking about it, the reason it doesn’t strike me as offensive is because it’s so fictionalized. I would hope most people would realize the myriad of differences between the sort of image that the phrase “Voodoo Queen” brings to mind, and an actual Voudou practitioner. One could argue that it being such a fictionalized stereotype makes it even more offensive (and it is important to note that the phrase has actually been used), but for some reason that’s not how it strikes me.
The line seems to be in using a phrase like “Voodoo Queen” (a stylized image based on a culture) as a jumping off point for inspiration, versus, say, going to a Voudou ritual and deciding that their sacred dress would be awesome to wear every day (cultural theft). One is okay, the other is definitely not.
But then, what about phrases that aren’t okay? “Tribal” has always annoyed me (as, hel-lo, it can apply to any culture pretty much ever), as has “African” (since, you know, it’s a continent full of many completely distinct countries & cultures – see this for more).
The conclusion I’ve come to is that it is possible to respectfully take inspiration from other cultures, as an informed consumer. This means:
- be respectful. If something has a specific meaning (in a sacred or ritual context, for example), I would say it’s definitely off limits. Otherwise, & it’s always a little dangerous to say this!, but use your best judgement.
- be informed. Don’t call something something that it isn’t, and try to know the inspiration of what you’re wearing.
I’d add that if you’re going to be buying something particular to a culture, you should be buying it direct from the source. The money goes back into the community and you’re supporting independent craftspeople, all at the same time.
Of course, I’m not an expert and I’d love to hear your take on things – what do you think? Where’s the line?
*”Heathen” here is used as an umbrella term for Northern/Germanic/Scandinavian paganism.
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