Appropriated Trends from Ethnic Cultures
- Chloe Lum
- Mar 9, 2023
- 5 min read
Slicked back hair. 14k plated gold hoops. Minimalist makeup. Gold nameplate necklaces. Brownie glazed lips.
These are all staple aspects in the “clean girl aesthetic” which focuses on glowing skin, simple jewelry, and organization and productivity. This recent trend on TikTok overall encourages positive physical and mental health habits for young teen girls which is a great aspect. But many of the trendy products associated originate in Black, Brown, and Asian culture; a fact which is often ignored by white participants. While Black and Brown teen girls would be seen as “ghetto” or “trashy” for these styles in the past, on white girls it’s seen as “cute” and “dainty”. Not only can the clean girl aesthetic be seen in this light; other jewelry, makeup, and clothes trends that originated in various cultures have been popularized by white society without acknowledgement to its origin, a prime example of cultural appropriation. Makeup like the Fox eye trend or oversexualized “Asian-inspired” pieces of clothing made by name brands have been highly criticized for disrespecting Asian culture. New trends recycled from ethnic cultures need to be properly recognized and respected, rather than seen as revolutionary ideas created by white people.
Celebrities such as Hailey Beiber and Bella Hadid have been at the forefront of “starting” these new trends. In the Buzzfeed article, “Hailey Bieber Got Dragged For A Video About ‘Brownie Glazed Lips’ Because She Didn’t Give Credit To People Of Color”, the niche trend “started” by Beiber quickly gained momentum on TikTok and smaller influencers credited her, causing backlash. Tajia Reed, a TikTok beauty influencer, criticized the problem: “Watching popular trends get criticized as ‘ghetto’ or ‘ratchet when Black and Brown women do them and then applauded when white women do them is ‘a rite of passage for Black and Brown women,’” Reed told BuzzFeed. Other niche trends follow the same cycle: they are started by BIPOC communities who were looked down upon for it, and then years later recycled for white people to “restore” and are perceived as entirely new. Another example of this appropriation is when the white founder of “Nite Cap”, Sarah Marantz, credited herself for the invention of bonnets, a staple in Black hair care for years (which she sells for an astounding $98). These cosmetics stolen from Black and Brown culture are only a fraction of the whole. Other examples of pop culture influenced by Black culture include acrylic nails, name plate necklaces, hoop earrings, monograms, sneaker culture, and modern street fashion in general. In an article from Essence, “Our Culture is ‘Ghetto until proven fashionable,’” Nareasha Willis, a fashion designer and Black activist who released a line of loungewear explains the meaning behind the clothes: “The fashion industry referring to Black people as ‘ghetto’ to later capitalize on it when a white woman does it is hypocritical, to say the least,” she says. This problem continues to plague the fashion and cosmetic industry.
Another essential aspect of the clean girl aesthetic is an emphasis on slicked-back, oiled hair which has gone viral. From a low sleek bun, a high ponytail, or worn down flat, this trend can be spotted anywhere. On TikTok, hair oiling has 301.6 M views, “slugging” (a term used to put petroleum jelly on your face and hair) has 805.3 M views, and various combinations of the words “hair”, “slicked back”, “oiled”, and “sleek” have hundreds of millions of views. This “radical” idea has blown up everywhere, but few people think of its origins. Hair oiling and treatments are family traditions for South Asian girls and mothers. Refinery 29’s article, “Hair Oiling Has Gone Mainstream — But It’s Much More Than A Trend” explains that “hair oiling is a non-negotiable routine for many South Asian girls (…) hair oiling is a tradition that has been passed down through generations.” Patel, the author, shares her personal experiences of feeling embarrassed for being labeled “freshie” which was an insult at the time to mock Brown kids who sported cultural trends unfamiliar to her white classmates. Her friend expressed similar experiences, describing that hair oiling used to be the biggest issue with her mom, and her lying to her classmates that it was gel. In her case and many others, Patel was faced with this fear, and years later, this traditional memory of her life has gone mainstream-- to white people who do not understand or appreciate the origins of hair oiling. Patel ends with a strong message: “For me and others, hair oil is so much more than a passing trend on social media. It's love, family, tradition, and culture. Plenty of white women may forget about coconut oil when the #hair slugging or #hair oiling hashtags slowly die down but I — and millions of other South Asian women — will continue the multigenerational love story.”
Cultural appropriation can be seen again in the fox eye trend and the sexualization of traditional Asian clothing, specifically qipaos/cheongsam or kimonos (traditional Chinese and Japanese apparel). The Fox eye trend is a makeup look meant to elongate the eye in an upward motion. The controversial makeup look comes with the hand pose in pulling one's eye slanted upward. The pose is quite suggestive of the racist motion, meant to mock Asians for their small eyes. The entire subject is much of a gray area, with varying opinions from all. With #Fox Eye Trend coming in at 362.3 M views on TikTok, there are various videos explaining the racial insensitivity of the look and makeup tutorials to achieve it (with and without the racist pose). Most people think there is nothing inherently wrong with the makeup look - what’s wrong is the pose that accompanies it. It appears that during the height of this trend, despite being informed by Asians that the pose was racially insensitive, many of those engaging in the trend have refuted this knowledge and chosen to ignore it.
Another example of cultural appropriation in Asian culture is the sexualization of clothes that fit into the “oriental aesthetic”. Allures’ article, “Are we doing this whole cultural appropriation fashion trend again?” describes the problem, “the image of that undone white model in a Mandarin collar cheongsam dress filters this Chinoiserie trend through a French-girl-beauty filter. The next level of effortlessness would naturally be to take it someplace exotic”. The following are examples of pieces the article features.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to learn and wear clothing from a different culture, but the “Asian inspired”, “Super mini”, “exotic and sexy”, and “oriental-patterned” type clothing is far from that. Limiting Asian culture clothes to a fun party outfit or costume and making dresses shorter and with deeper cuts that were historically meant to be modest yet figure-flattering, modeled by white girls and then profited for American companies, while being made by poverty-stricken Asian sweatshops, is unsettling to say the least. Stripping away the traditional and historic value of these clothes and adding sexy alterations restricts people’s perspective on Asian, as well as Black and Brown, culture to a fashion statement and leads to ignorance and racist comments.
Trends will come and go-- that's how our capitalistic society works. Different aesthetics, fashion, and makeup will be used by teen girls and I can not stop them from it, but I can help properly teach them the origins of these trends and bring light to those who deserve it. Stop to think: Is it ok for these white influencers, especially on TikTok, who brag about new products and styles as if they were Christopher Colombus that were already popularized by ethnic women? Stop to think: Is it ok for these luxury fashion brands to showcase their white models with cornrows and box braids? Stop to think: Is it ok for fast fashion brands to depict Asian inspired clothing as sexy or exotic? Or: Is it ok for makeup brands to capitalize off the Fox eye trend and pose? Instead, learn about traditional hair oiling or qipaos history, and purchase these products from reputable BIPOC businesses. Be an advocate and be the change for young women.
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