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What Constant Cultural Appropriation Really Means...

Revelist.com
Let me start this off by saying that Marc Jacobs is one of my favorite designers. Typically, if I find a Marc Jacobs piece, I am buying it.

Even though all of my Marc Jacobs pieces were probably purchased second hand (judge your mom) I love the quality, the style, the coolness I feel when I wear or carry them.

That's why I feel personally offended by Marc Jacobs' constant and consistent disregard and disrespect of the diaspora.

He now has a serious history of flippant cultural appropriation.

He was almost canceled after the mini buns bantu knots fiasco, and then there was that time boxer braids cornrows, last season it was faux loc hat thingies, and this season, he sent his models down the runway with head wraps.
Season after season, he gets accused of this. No, he is not the only designer trying to make coin off of Black Culture, but he is today's offender and has so deeply and continually offended, he deserves this intellectual dragging.

The continual stealing of pieces, styles, and otherwise notable swag mean one of two things: either Marc doesn't know (which I doubt), or Marc doesn't care to know.

Cultural appropriation is not Black People shouting about being the only ones with braids. It means that you understand and ATTRIBUTE that inspiration to the culture. Our hair styles are not some trend you can peddle off to white girls to make them look cooler, our lifestyles are not just something you can wear across a runway, our culture is not something you can just sell.

Basically, what cultural appropriation devolves to is a sheer lack of creativity and a flippant cultural insensitivity, both of which Marc, as a white man, with his privilege, can afford.

What does Jacobs have to say about all of this?
"All who cry "cultural appropriation" or whatever nonsense about any race or skin color wearing their hair in any manner- funny how you don't criticize women of color for straightening their hair. I respect and am inspired by people and how they look. I don't see color or race- I see people. I'm sorry to read that so many people are so narrow minded... Love is the answer. Appreciation of all and inspiration from anywhere is a beautiful thing. Think about it."

Where do I even effing begin here? 

Let's start with the initial confusion Jacobs' launches us into by, in one section, calling cultural appropriation "nonsense" which completely disregards the culture you supposedly say that you "respect" a few BS sentences later. So, which is it? Disrespect or respect?

Next, the whole calling out Black Women for straightening their hair thing. It is ironic that a white man, whose ancestors at one point, outlawed Black Women's hair, forcing them to either hide it beneath wraps or straighten it to be more approved, wants to "criticize women of color for straightening their hair." Dear Marc, plenty of Black people are born with straight hair. Might be surprising, but straight hair is not something exclusive to white people. There is straight hair across cultures and ethnicities. So no, no one is appropriating white culture there.

But Bantu knots, cornrows, braids, locs, twists, and the like are styles, not hair textures. These styles come from the diaspora and are not for sale or on the trends, these are our culture.

If you're so "inspired" by how Black women look, why not, I don't know, cast more of them for your shows? Just a thought.

Next thing: saying "you don't see color" is not good for any fashion designer. Please see color so my garments look right. Naw, but in all seriousness, saying that is hippie hippie code for you being racist than a mug. You obviously see enough color to make your shows a swath of beige skin tones with only an occasion chocolate drop there for accent.

I'm not the only one who notices this pattern:
Marc, you absolutely must get it together. You said last year you would "learn", but after this display, it is obvious the that you have not. Please, for the sake of your brand's actual fans, get it together.

What are your thoughts on this? Drop your comments below!

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