10 Times White People Were Called Out for Cultural Appropriation in 2015

The Case of Rachel Dolezal We all remember Rachel Dolezal. The former NAACP chapter president posed as a Black woman for her own personal satisfaction and gain. Even after her parents revealed her true identity, she refused to claim her Caucasian heritage. To this day, Dolezal identifies as Black. Iggy Azalea's Co-opting of Southern Blackness Iggy Azalea the female hip hop artist, model, songwriter out of Australia, is best known for her chart topping hit Fancy. But she's also became notorious for her insensitivity to the complexities of race relations and cultural appropriation. Salon writer Brittney Cooper critiqued Azalea's co-optation and appropriation of sonic Southern Blackness, particularly the sonic Blackness of Southern Black women. The Fashion Industry's Appropriation of Bantu Knots Yet again, the fashion industry didn't fail to dismiss Blacks' contributions within the industry. Bantu knots have served as a protective style for Black women for centuries. However, white designers such as Marc Jacobs didn't find it problematic to introduce it to the European fashion world as a new, modern trend. Allure Magazine's Afro Tutorial Back in August, Allure Magazine, a beauty publication mainly targeting young white women, featured a step-by-step tutorial that showed how to turn straight hair into an Afro, but there was no mention of it's cultural context. The model in the image was a white woman donning Afro-textured hair The heading read as follows: “Yes (You Can) Have An Afro*even if you have straight hair." Picture: Reuters Miley Cyrus's Racial and Cultural Insensitivity at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards By now, Miley is all too familiar with cultural appropriation criticisms and outcry about her benefiting from the cavalier flaunting of Black culture. However, this year, her acts were more blatant than ever. For instance, while hosting the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, the self-proclaimed twerk expert wore dreads and used the term “mammy.” Kylie Jenner's Cultural Appropriation on Repeat in 2015 Kylie came under fire after images of her Teen Vogue cover story depicted her donning faux locks. While the media rarely has anything nice to say about the style when worn by Blacks, the magazine described Kylie's dreads as “edgy, raw and beautiful,” according to an article released by the Huffington Post. In addition, Jenner appeared on Instagram rocking the traditional Black hair style of cornrows. Even after getting slammed for her cultural insensitivity, she continued to post more photos of her hairdo. To make matters worst, back in the spring, the teenager posted two questionable Instagram pics of her wearing makeup of a very dark hue. Some felt as if the images were artistic and strikingly beautiful, while most accused Jenner of wearing blackface. You be the judge. via Mitchell Sams “Baby Hair” at Fashion Week Whether we are born with them or we create them, the phenomenon of “baby hair” has always been a Black concept. Yet, in 2015, the Givenchy Fall/Winter Fashion Show showcased white models with baby hair and what appeared to emulated tribal piercings. Elle UK called baby hair a new "trend" and credited Katy Perry for inspiring it. Nick Zonna / Splash News Blackface at Fashion Week During Milan Fashion Week, Claudio Cutugno had white models walk down the runway in what appeared to a rendition of blackface. While the designer claimed that the concept was inspired by the artwork of Emilio Isgrò, most of us weren't buying it. At the end of the day, the show bared a striking resemblance to the minstrels of the past that aimed to appropriate their false understanding of Black culture. Taylor Swift's “Wildest Dreams” Music Video Earlier this year Taylor Swift released a video for her song, "Wildest Dreams," which was filmed in Africa. The music video was problematic for many people because it had an almost all blond, all-white cast. It also depicted a white love story set during a time in history when Africans were colonized by Europeans. Spike TV's “Tut” Spike TV released King Tut's story this past summer and when the trailers of the film debuted, many Black individuals understandably felt insulted. The so-called diverse cast encompassed a small number of Black people. Though scholars have proven that Ancient Egypt was of a Black culture time and time again, Spike TV chose to continue the practice of attributing Black African to Europeans by whitewashing it.

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