cultural appropriation
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‘Thug Day’: Texas High School Students’ Theme-Day Attire Gets Called Out As Racially Offensive
Who approved this? A Texas high school is feeling the heat after a group of students arrived on campus dressed as “thugs”—in cornrows, fake tattoos, chains and the like—as part of Spirit Week or, as they renamed it, “Thug Day.” Photos of the students dressed as so-called thugs at Houston’s Memorial High School this year…
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Not Again, Gucci: Despite Recent Efforts, the Italian Luxury Label Faces More Charges of Cultural Insensitivity
“If we made a mistake, I was the person who made the mistake,” Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri told the Washington Post last week, reflecting on “Blackface-gate.” Now, Gucci’s got another cultural controversy on their hands—one they could’ve easily avoided, had they listened over a year ago after sending models wearing Sikh-like turbans down their Fall/Winter…
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White Performers Temporarily Switch Races to Perform Porgy and Bess
Although one may not subscribe to the tenets of white supremacy, it is impossible to argue against the idea that white people are the undefeated, undisputed world champions of finding loopholes. They can get out of murder by claiming they “feared for their life” or were “standing their ground.” They will argue that their actions…
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You Do the Math: Can You Spot the 7 Layers of Appropriation in Ariana Grande’s ‘7 Rings’?
Let’s play a game! If you read The Glow Up regularly, you know we regularly call out appropriation when and where we see it—even when it’s (unfortunately) our own folks. That said, you’d be amazed at how much we leave on the table simply because there’s too much to possibly cover. But every so often,…
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Know Your History: Appropriation Is Real, But Kendall Jenner's Hairstyle Ain't That (This Time)
Beloveds, we know cultural appropriation is an insidious issue that must be called out at every turn so as to nip it in its arrogant bud, but we’ve got some news for you: everything a member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan participates in doesn’t automatically fall into that category. (Trust us, we’d likely write a buzz…
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What's Columbusing, You Say? We've Got You Covered
Every time we hear the name Christopher Columbus, we can’t help but wonder: “What will be stolen next.” The term “columbusing” has been around for a minute. “Columbusing” is when a person—often a white person, let’s be real—or a set of people believes that they discovered something that isn’t new. The term is a close…
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Twitter’s Jack Dorsey Doesn’t Know What #OnHere Means
A funny thing happens when white people attempt to co-opt black slang while simultaneously misinterpreting what the slang they are trying to co-opt actually means. They usually end up looking silly, and even when actual black ass people come through and try to point out where they went wrong, they willfully—and often times ignorantly—defend their…
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Did Rihanna Appropriate 'Chola' Brows? One Latina Writer Thinks So
When Rihanna debuted literally pencil-thin brows for her history-making September cover of British Vogue, the general response was one of awe—and fear that the look was coming back. Rihanna (who requested the look) told editor-in-chief Edward Enninful that she considered skinny brows “ladylike … but punk.” But while many of us saw references to the…
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'We're More Than Capable': Pose Stars Push Back on Cis Actors Playing Trans Roles
Actors Mj Rodriguez and Indya Moore have recently become part of television history as part of the cast of producer Ryan Murphy’s latest offering, Pose. The series, which features both the largest-ever number of transgender actors as series regulars and recurring cast of LGBTQ actors for a scripted series, also broke new ground with series…
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Black Model on Vogue's IG Responds to Troll Who Complained About Too Many 'Ghetto People'
Apparently, Vogue Magazine’s readers and followers are all white, so when they see black women being represented, they immediately wonder why “ghetto people” are being shown because it’s “not like vogue at all.” Maybe that’s why, when model Salem Mitchell was featured on Vogue’s Instagram page relaxing on the beach in a red one-piece and…