cultural appropriation – Shortwoman.com

Something not quite right here

So Mattel is trying really hard to show us that Barbie is still relevant. I suppose they think cultural diversity is part of that plan. How many things can you find wrong with this picture?

Offhand, I see a black girl with ridiculously straightened hair, and an Asian girl with a T-shirt that looks like they ran an internal contest for “best stereotype.”

When somebody who thinks cultural appropriation is a woman shaming scam notices this stuff, you can be sure the target audience ain’t buyin’ it either.

In just one week….

Our national nightmare of Election 2016 will be over one way or the other.

Not sharing how I voted, only want to encourage all of you to (in the immortal words of Nike), “Just Do It.” Once and only once. Assuming you are alive. No selfies.

In closing: Apple; no, you’re not even allowed to explore another culture’s traditions or fashions or Halloween (again, only if you’re a woman, nobody’s ragging on guys with tartans or topknots); and oh Weiner.

Babushka: the Tar Pit of Cultural Appropriation

Some weeks back, I read this item on cultural appropriation. And I’ve been bothered by it ever since. I looked into the issue further. To briefly summarize, it’s cool for a woman from anywhere in the world to wear jeans and T-shirts, but I am not allowed to experiment with world fashion. If I am in a Kimono or a Cheongsam, it had better damn well be Halloween. Headgear? Sure, I can wear certain hats, but beyond that lies dangerous territory.

Men seem to be largely exempt from these rules. Utilikilts are acceptable in many places. L.L. Bean has been selling plaid shirts in traditional clan patterns for decades without checking the heritage of the purchaser. Nobody seems to be alarmed at western men with their hair done in a topknot, despite not being samurai.

Some people even want to be in an uproar about sushi being served in a university cafeteria. One must wonder if these people are similarly concerned over spaghetti or tacos.

And this brings me to an important question. Many of my forebears hail from Russia — somewhere near Anatevka, perhaps. I have forebears from other areas of Eastern Europe as well. So, am I Russian enough to wear a scarf in the Babushka style? Or am I about to be flamed for taking this picture in the privacy of my home?