Relatable YouTuber turned prosperous influencer Emma Chamberlain expanded her coffee brand, Chamberlain Coffee, into a brick-and-mortar coffee shop. Chamberlain Coffee opened its doors on Jan. 30 in Los Angeles. With a menu consisting of classic coffee drinks with a recognizable name, the coffee shop quickly grabbed the attention of social media connoisseurs. The drinks and the ware they are served in have become “trendy” due to their unique shape. The plastic cups in the store feature rounded bottoms and broader sides, which were seen as the “new” look for to-go coffee cups.
As the cup began to circulate on the internet, many drew a connection between Chamberlain’s cups and boba cups. Boba, a drink that originated in Taiwan, found popularity in the United States due to its sweetness and texture. It was created by combining three popular Asian treats: tea, shaved ice, and tapioca balls. As the drink grew in popularity, it evolved to include fruit, non-dairy milk, and syrups. Boba came to the Americas with the Taiwanese people. It quickly found a home in the U.S. due to the new cafe culture running rampant in the early ’90s. Now, boba chains seem to be everywhere. Boba stores have gathered a large audience with drinks like brown sugar milk tea, taro milk tea, Thai milk tea, and many different fruit milk teas. Most boba stores use a specific cup to hold the large inclusions. The cups are designed to make drinking tea with boba and fruit easy.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, cultural appropriation is “the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture.” By this definition’s standard, many things would fall into this category — waist beads, neck scarves, fox eyes versus doe eyes — and the new Chamberlain coffee cups. These things that have always been popular in their cultural communities are “discovered” by a TikToker and made into trends. The trends are often seen as new when introduced to white people. Wearing or using cultural styles is not always an issue. The issue does not address the cultural significance of the styles.
Additionally, not everyone wants their culture used by a white person. Cultural items like beads, scarves, or makeup evoke a sense of ownership, and those groups have every right to ask to keep those important items within their culture.
The problem with Chamberlain’s cups is not that she made them; it’s that TikTok was quick to praise the “uniqueness” of the cups and that this sentiment would make the cups a hit. The relation of coffee cups to boba cups should have been mentioned by the TikTok reactors celebrating the cups, as well as Chamberlain herself. By not doing this, it can appear that she is taking credit for the idea or, in this case, the shape of the cup. The lack of acknowledgment is the problem.
The TikTok shop has already begun selling cheap plastic cups with Chamberlain’s “signature” rounded bases — not boba cups, but Chamberlain’s cups. The cups would not have found TikTok’s popularity without Chamberlain and are now associated with a celebrity they’re famous for, not because of their relation to boba cups.
It is easy to make excuses. The creators didn’t make the connection, the cups are different enough from boba cups, or Chamberlain didn’t know it would be offensive. Each objection can be valid, and the cups will still be considered appropriations. Considering the lack of acknowledging the newest trends are tied to a specific culture, it is appropriation. Chamberlain may not have known it, you may not have known it, and TikTok may not have known it. But not knowing doesn’t excuse the behavior. You can appreciate certain cultural styles and customs, but to respect them, you must understand and educate yourself about their significance to specific cultures. That is the distinction.
Chamberlain’s boba-like coffee cups are being called out as cultural appropriation due to TikTok’s reaction to them. Boba cups have a rich Taiwanese history that’s been ignored. The cups got their fame from Chamberlain, not from their origin. Ignoring this history makes the trend appropriation, not appreciation.