Elle Magazine on Nicki Minaj

[TimisaMonster 31,073]

Oh...are they Nicki Minaj and trying to make a deep motive behind a momentary act of ratchetness?

 

[Babel 40,889]

Trinidad and Tobago traditional costume.

[Voltaire 4,531]

I've noticed a lot of these discussions, and I'm genuinely curious if anyone takes issue when Gaga boldly dips into different cultures. I've always really enjoyed the variety in it. Can anyone tell me if they view what Gaga has done as wrong, or if not- how she does it in a way that makes it different and more acceptable than when others do. 

 

 

 

[PartySick 134,300]

I feel like this is all an individual issue pertaining towards Miley. While I do think white people appropriate "dreadlocks" specifically, I know that white people also wear different types of matted hair with respect to its respective culture. Hell, depending on how you view it, white people can wear dreadlocks in a respectful manner, and appropriate it in a disrespectful manner, all at the same time. It depends on how you view it, taking in different historical and societal factors, such as the original of the term "dreadlock", the general collective issue of cultural appropriation, and what is not cultural appropriation.

As for Miley specifically, I actually don't know the story for sure. What I've heard from the grapevine is that she mocks/caricaturizes Black women collectively when it goes along with her flow, but ignores issues over all. Again, I don't follow her so much so I don't know if I'm one to follow.

I, personally, feel like it's a hair style. That's it. No one race or culture of people "owns" it in my eyes, but I respect your opinion  

a cheif head piece? That's a Trinidadian carnival piece. But I get your point on the straight hair. It's a double standard and I don't get whyiley gets bashed for dreads and I never saw people complain when gaga do during ARTPOP.

Yeah, I didn't know that because I generally don't care for Nicki since the whole thing where she told her fans to "go die"  but thank you for correcting me. Miley has some sort of target on her, and I'm not sure why. 

It's a hopeless argument, though, so I'm not sure why I even started it  

I apologize.

[Pablo 6,964]

Straight hair doesn't belong to White people FYI.

I'm completely ignorant in this topic, educate me!? I'm really curious to learn more!

[Carmex 964]

shes a dumb ass ******

[Miel 15,009]

I've noticed a lot of these discussions, and I'm genuinely curious if anyone takes issue when Gaga boldly dips into different cultures. I've always really enjoyed the variety in it. Can anyone tell me if they view what Gaga has done as wrong, or if not- how she does it in a way that makes it different and more acceptable than when others do. 

 

 

 

I personally love the way Gaga utilized the niqab/burqa as a metaphor lyrically, and don't have too much a problem of her wearing one. That said, it is not my culture to comment on.

Gaga usually holds a lot of respect to other cultures, so I always try to defend her on that. She's, like, the only white girl I actively defend lol

I mean tbh do you know how hard it is to convince tumblr that Gaga is our Lord and Savior, rather than a dumb white girl mess? Because she isn't! It's so frustrating!!! Like, I know she's not perfect but I've even had arguments in university defending her, uh, cultural honor. Or something idk

[Miel 15,009]

I'm completely ignorant in this topic, educate me!? I'm really curious to learn more!

My opinion!

In defense of Nicki, I think it's a traditional Trinidadian headpiece! Or at least inspired by it.

edit: my opinion on the "then why isn't it appropriation when Black women adopt 'white' hairstyles"!

[I don't mean for this to come off as an attack to you- I love talking about this, and these conversations with you and everybody else on here have been very insightful]

I think you have to look at it through a more structural context. From my own experiences, a lot of what is seen as respectable and "classy" in the professional western world is very anglo- and euro-centric. It's an unfortunate truth that kinky hair, AAVE, or anything remotely "street"/"hood" is seen as uneducated or unprofessional, no matte the individual's level of education or creed.

A lot of it is has to do with, I assume, cultural assimilation (based on experiences from my own family). Speaking fluently and elegantly, having to fit a certain standard of "westerness", and such- which include having straight, "managed" hair.

On the flip side, it's almost never seen as some sort of statistical or logistical anomaly/of import that white people (young adult boy demographic, specifically) are the common consumer of hip-hop, and are the general perpetuation of stereotyped hip-hop culture.

Think of it that they can adopt certain aspects of other cultures without being called out, whereas other cultures are assumed/encouraged to adopt "westerness"/whiteness. imo it boils down to the idea that general white ethnicities and culture is seen as a sort of "default".

 

[Miel 15,009]

Oh...are they Nicki Minaj and trying to make a deep motive behind a momentary act of ratchetness?

 

I feel like the deep motive isn't even within Minaj herself, but rather the issue surrounding it. Hmm.

[Barbados 1,004]

I'm completely ignorant in this topic, educate me!? I'm really curious to learn more!

This just in: Asians don't have straight hair

[PartySick 134,300]

In defense of Nicki, I think it's a traditional Trinidadian headpiece! Or at least inspired by it.

edit: my opinion on the "then why isn't it appropriation when Black women adopt 'white' hairstyles"!

[I don't mean for this to come off as an attack to you- I love talking about this, and these conversations with you and everybody else on here have been very insightful]

I think you have to look at it through a more structural context. From my own experiences, a lot of what is seen as respectable and "classy" in the professional western world is very anglo- and euro-centric. It's an unfortunate truth that kinky hair, AAVE, or anything remotely "street"/"hood" is seen as uneducated or unprofessional, no matte the individual's level of education or creed.

A lot of it is has to do with, I assume, cultural assimilation (based on experiences from my own family). Speaking fluently and elegantly, having to fit a certain standard of "westerness", and such- which include having straight, "managed" hair.

On the flip side, it's almost never seen as some sort of statistical or logistical anomaly/of import that white people (young adult boy demographic, specifically) are the common consumer of hip-hop, and are the general perpetuation of stereotyped hip-hop culture.

Think of it that they can adopt certain aspects of other cultures without being called out, whereas other cultures are assumed/encouraged to adopt "westerness"/whiteness. imo it boils down to the idea that general white ethnicities and culture is seen as a sort of "default".

 

Yes, I didn't know about her nationality since I never cared to look it up. I wasn't a fan of her long enough to get to know her

Now that makes total sense. I think a lot of people read me wrong when I make statements like the above ones. I believe in a utopian world where people can celebrate cultures different from their own or take aspects from that culture without intentionally referencing or "appropriating" it and they aren't made into a villain. 

I also believe in a world where people are held accountable for actual bigotry and not put on the same level as people who wear ethnic clothes or hair styles.

I just don't like the fences and red tape being put up and people being separated into this group and that and when someone does something from another group, they're the bad guy because they're not black, Asian, Hispanic, white, this culture, or this gender, or this orientation, whatever the difference.

The world is too small for those walls and we're all human first, everything else comes second. If that makes me a bigoted, ignorant, light skinned person than so be it.

(again, thanks for being nice )

[PartySick 134,300]

I personally love the way Gaga utilized the niqab/burqa as a metaphor lyrically, and don't have too much a problem of her wearing one. That said, it is not my culture to comment on.

Gaga usually holds a lot of respect to other cultures, so I always try to defend her on that. She's, like, the only white girl I actively defend lol

I mean tbh do you know how hard it is to convince tumblr that Gaga is our Lord and Savior, rather than a dumb white girl mess? Because she isn't! It's so frustrating!!! Like, I know she's not perfect but I've even had arguments in university defending her, uh, cultural honor. Or something idk

Ugh stupid like limit  

[Miel 15,009]

This just in: Asians don't have straight hair

As an Asian, I was actually kind of insecure for a while because my hair is kind of curly/wavy (it mostly grew in that way when I hit puberty, but has been kind of like that all my life).

That's when I realized that the genetic variations across what we deem as "Asian" is incredibly immense. Granted, I have mixed ancestry so that might be a moot point- however, same can be said to almost every categorization of ethnicity, even minutely.

[JbGaga 2,261]

Im tired of this nonsence. Did some people forget that Nicki in the beginning of her career (And still to this day) Stole/ Adopted/ Appropriated Asian culture? Nicki and her Barbie's? I mean the hypocrisy here by people is staggering. We should be happy that culture is being shared and exposed to people through different mediums.

 

 

 

 

 

[Barbados 1,004]

As an Asian, I was actually kind of insecure for a while because my hair is kind of curly/wavy (it mostly grew in that way when I hit puberty, but has been kind of like that all my life).

That's when I realized that the genetic variations across what we deem as "Asian" is incredibly immense. Granted, I have mixed ancestry so that might be a moot point- however, same can be said to almost every categorization of ethnicity, even minutely.

I was saying that in response to the claim that "Straight hair is white culture"

Because asians have straight hair too. So it's kind of silly to assume that because a Black woman likes to wear weaves or have straight hair, that they're borrowing from White people.

 

Also interesting fact: Weaves are made from Indian woman's hair, not white woman's. 

-Because White hair is too brittle and weak, whereas indian hair has a lot of strength to it