Cultural appropriation has been a controversial topic in our nation for decades now, but has gained more attention in 2017 and 2018. What some people call borrowing, others call offensive, and both sides can make their arguments. At the end of the day, however, it’s about empathy for how that borrowing feels to whom you’re borrowing from.
Lexy Williams, a senior Communications major with a General Business Studies minor here at Temple will be hosting an event for her senior thesis on the topic of cultural appropriation. As a licensed cosmetologist herself, Williams has encountered quite a few situations that have tested her boundaries as a professional, as well as an African American woman.
“With my profession, being a hairstylist, the client is always right,” Williams said. “With any service job, you have to please the client. But what happens when a client is asking you to do these hairstyles that you associate with your African American identity?”
Her interest in the topic is rooted in an event that took place during her sophomore year, when a friend of hers asked her to style his hair in a traditionally African American style.
“He had a lot of different reactions from that. He would go somewhere and people would be like ‘I love your hair’ and some of them were African American women. Then some people would just look at him like ‘What are you doing?’” Williams said. “It made me really interested just thinking, what is okay and what’s not okay? There’s so much gray area. It’s not really black and white.”
Over the course of the next two years, Williams continued to ask the question ‘Why?’ which ultimately led her to her upcoming senior showcase.
“I think when I first did that whole thing with my friend it was kind of a “I’ll do it, just know how I feel about it and how others will perceive it” thing. I think me asking “Why?” is how I’m growing. I’m understanding that my perspective is not the only perspective,” Williams said. “We all have our different thoughts. I’ve learned to not be one-track minded and to just be open to different perspectives. By being open, I feel like I’m educating myself more and that helps me grow into a well-rounded individual.”
She added, “Everybody has their feelings about it. Even though I have some beliefs about it, my beliefs aren’t necessarily going to be the same as someone else’s beliefs––even if we share the same skin shade.”
The event itself will be held on Monday, April 30, from 7 to 9 p.m. in Annenberg Hall’s Atrium. It will begin with a live art show, featuring models wearing different hairstyles as well as local designer clothing. There will be a brief intermission, followed by an open panel for conversation.
“We’re also going to have anonymous question boxes. We know it’s an uncomfortable topic and it’s really controversial and not everybody is comfortable talking in front of a whole room of people,” Williams said.
Williams added, “Hair is so big when it comes to expression and self-identity, I think that’s a really big point when it comes to cultural appropriation. It’s natural how my hair grows out of my head––I can’t help that my hair naturally wants to be a ‘fro. And then for someone to just want to be like “Oh, look at me, I can do a ‘fro too,” that’s not really who you are.”
Williams will graduate in one month. She will be moving to Chile in the fall to teach English, which will give her a year to relax, follow through with her interest in the Spanish language and culture, and figure out what she will do next!
You can follow her on Instagram @u_kno_lexx_will and be sure to come out on April 30 to support her showcase!