Posted on 04/30/2018 6:27:16 PM PDT by Simon Green
A high school student's prom pictures have generated a furious debate online after some social media users accused the 18-year-old of "cultural appropriation".
Twitter user Keziah, who is not Chinese, posted pictures of herself wearing a cheongsam, or qipao - a traditional Chinese dress - for her prom in Utah, USA, last week.
In a widely-shared response to the pictures, one Twitter user, Jeremy Lam, tweeted: "My culture is not your... prom dress".
The original tweet, and Lam's criticism on Friday night, have attracted hundreds of thousands of likes, tens of thousands of retweets, and thousands more comments as supporters and critics clashed over the weekend over the concept of cultural appropriation - the adoption of minority cultures, typically by dominant cultures.
Mr Lam explained on Twitter why he found the photos troubling. He said the qipao began as a formless gown for house cleaning and was turned into a symbol of female empowerment.
"In a time where Asian women were silenced they were able to create not only a piece of art but a symbol of activism," he wrote.
"This piece of clothing embraced femininity, confidence and gender equality through its beautiful, eye-catching appearance.
"The style was then spread throughout Asia as a beautiful garment and sign of women's liberation.
"I'm proud of my culture, including the extreme barriers marginalised people within that culture have had to overcome those obstacles. For it to simply be subject to American consumerism and cater to a white audience is parallel to colonial ideology."
Mr Lam's post clearly struck a chord. By the time of writing it had been liked more than 167,000 times and retweeted close to 40,000 times.
However, after some commenters suggested Keziah should remove the pictures, she refused.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
I hate to say this but I agree with Mr. Lam. She should remove her dress this instant!
Pound sand.
Not guilty
As an Italian, mange, mange
As a total illiterate in Italian, I had to translate it. LOL!
I appreciate it very much! Life is good!
Jeremy wishes he looked that hot in that dress. Jeremy must not be handling transitioning well.
Yeah they are but their heads can explode when the hierarchy of victimology is unclear. Take for example if that had been a tranny wearing that dress. We’d have had a battle royale.
Lam is actually a Chinese name
The mental patients are probably mad that she’s happier and prettier than they are.
So can the rest of the slime sucking, scum bag, social justice warriors.
I was named after my grandmother.. A very Italian name that is not common at all here.
Maybe his parents assimilated and named their son an American name. It’s too bad he’s such an ass.
It really is the best, isn’t it?
I was making my weekly big pot of tomato sauce a couple of days ago. I let it simmer for a few hours. The smell drove my daughter so nuts, she boiled a cup of rigatoni while waiting and poured some over it lol..
>> Jeremy Lam, tweeted: “My culture is not your... prom dress”.
Surrender your given name, idiot.
Lam is probably gay because any real male would love to see young women in a Chipao, Hanpao, or Kimonah, or other Asia dress. They look fantastic.
I saw women wearing those dresses in Japan, So. Korea, So. Vietnam, Cambodia and at performances by Thai and Indonesian dancers.
There is quite a difference between “cultural appropriation” and “cultural appreciation”. Unfortunately Lam doesn’t know that difference.
So, Jeremy, get out of here, go on the lam, vamoose, skidaddle, hit the road Jack, and on the way, you can buy Lindsay Graham a new dress at the Dress Barn in No. Carolina. That’s about your fashion speed.
Each one knew precisely how high -- and no higher -- to unbutton that side slit to match their own, slim figure to maximize the demure, but, tantalizing effect.
Whenever one of them walked by, the American girls couldn't buy their guys' attention with hundred-dollar bills. '-)
~~~~~~~~~
Keshia, OTOH, had absolutely the wrong figure style for the Cheongsam/Quipao. And she lacked the good sense of style and propriety to select anything other than maximum height for the side slit.
Her offense wasn't "cultural appropriation"; it was offensive lack of good sense and decorum.
Bottom line: Kezia's full length pose -- with its hump-rumped squat and cheesy leg show -- displays only an appalling lack of appropriate fashion sense and immature, tawdry behavior.
Quality parental guidance sorely needed...
Maybe those BBC folks should consider seeking mental help. It was very unrealistic to believe that the story was logically relevant enough to anything important enough to readers for publishing.
OR MAKE, OR LAUGH AT, COMMERCIALS LIKE THESE ONES! ---
Isn't it maddening that Swedish group ABBA made millions off their hit song Mama Mia, that appropriated Italian language & culture, and all those millions poured into their Swedish bank accounts, without a penny going to Italy?
If we wail loud enough, will we be eligible to join the libtard's religion, aka The Church Of The Perpetually Offended?
Wrong! It's a far smaller demographic than that: You have to have been born on a cattle ranch in the Western US.
Hollywood and non-rancher Texans culturally appropriated it from the ranchers, and then Country & Western singers appropriated it from them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.