As the most highly anticipated spring music festival, Coachella’s eccentric atmosphere invites equally bold fashion statements. The bright styles attendees and artists bring to the field has made Coachella a fashion destination, and it’s often more talked about than the performances.
However, what we don’t often like to recognize and discuss is the rampant cultural appropriation in festival fashion. Over the last few years, people have increasingly begun to realize the issues with donning cultural wear at Coachella, but that fine line between appreciation and appropriation is still blurry. To keep your desert weekend look gorgeous, fun, and sensitive, I’m laying down five ways to figure out if your festival outfit is culturally appropriating and what to do to avoid appropriation in the future.
Check the origin
As we make our last rounds through Pinterest and Instagram for the best outfit inspo, it’s easy to get caught up in the beauty of the pieces we see, but when we find a makeup look or outfit we adore, it’s important to consider what it is and where it came from. Obviously, if you find a cute plaid top that’s clearly not associated with any particular culture, you don’t need to second guess it. A bindi-centered makeup look, however, is not something you see in everyday American fashion. If you’re unsure about where the item came from, please do your research first.
Cultural appreciation involves knowing where the item comes from and its cultural significance. Cultural appropriation means disregarding the origins completely. I know that bindis, for example, come from places like Bangladesh, India and Nepal. They are an important symbol of Hindu tradition, like the mystical third eye and also a marker for married women. When there’s so much meaning attached to the bindi, are you still keen on wearing it? Once you know the origin and the significance of the item, then you can make a clearer judgment on whether it’s appropriate for you, someone outside of that culture, to wear it.
Ask someone from that culture
Even if you know the cultural origin of that item, sometimes it can be tough to determine what it means and whether it is okay for you to wear it. When you’re unsure, my best recommendation talk to someone of that culture/group to get their take.
Cornrows, for example, are a common hairstyle for black women. While cornrows might not hold a specific cultural meaning, they are intrinsic to the African-American identity. A black woman with cornrows in her hair might walk into an interview and be instantly judged and for wearing them. Meanwhile, a white woman like Kylie Jenner is deemed the inventor of cornrows and considered beautiful in them. Myself and many other can tell you that this is the experience for many people across all cultures, so don’t be afraid to talk to someone and determine if a trend is acceptable to wear.
If you’re still doubtful, just don’t wear it
News flash: Your fashion career isn’t over from giving up this one outfit. Of course, you want to bring our fashion A-game to Coachella and you might have the perfect outfit ready to go. But if you’re still having even an inkling of doubt that you might be appropriating a culture, my golden rule is just don’t wear it.
Honestly, the “discomfort” of starting your style planning from scratch is nothing compared to what other people like myself feel when we see their culture draped on a body that’s not like ours. A white girl might be called a goddess in hijab fashion, while a Muslim Pakistani girl might be mocked as a terrorist if she wears her actual hijab. That in itself is much more unfair than you having to miss out on this one headpiece, or top, or makeup look. Coachella is a place of wild and diverse fashion, and you can come up with an outfit that’s just as beautiful without appropriating someone else’s culture. Reevaluate how important it is for you to wear this one thing, play it safe, and skip it if you’re still unsure.
Be honest with yourself
There’s a long list of excuses people give when they’re questioned for their apparent cultural appropriation. One of the most common justifications I’ve encountered is that the person simply didn’t know what their outfit meant or where it came from. I also can’t forget people saying that they were just “appreciating the culture” as well. Then there’s the plain laziness some have, where they just want to wear whatever they want without thinking to do research or be sensitive to any of it.
So, my number one way to avoid cultural appropriation? Just be honest with yourself. Were you sincerely unaware that this clothing item came from a different culture than yours? Are you having doubts about wearing it? Are you trying your best to understand the history of the garment? Ultimately, do you want to respect other people’s cultures or do you honestly not care? Be honest with yourself. Hopefully these questions can lead you down the right path.
Call it out and share your findings
Sharing takes on cultural appropriation, educating others of your knowledge, and raising up the voices of those from other cultures is crucial for combating cultural appropriation. When you see someone at Coachella wearing something you believe is innapropriate, try talking to them before you dismiss them as just careless and insensitive. Sometimes, they really didn’t realize what they were doing. Call others out on their mistakes, but educate them too. If you’re not Japanese, do your research on whether a kimono for Coachella is appropriate or not, but also let someone Japanese speak on their own behalf. Do yourself and others a favor and have those conversations so that this year’s Coachella fashion will be the most culturally sensitive.
General pieces to steer clear of are bindis, dashikis, turbans, hijabs, headdresses and other traditional cultural wear you typically don’t see your classmates wearing on the day-to-day. Overall, just take cultural appropriation seriously as you finalize your festival ensemble!