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 ...
Yes it is. They got here, they can go back the same way.
I have no problem with folks who want to come here and be a part of our culture, and share theirs. Come here and want to isolate yourself, no thanks. Go home.
I guess Lam would hate me, too, because there are a few pieces of Chinese art in the house. I think their art forms are gorgeous.
If your first name is Jeremy, your culture isn't Chinese.
That’s cool.
And how many inventions created in the US are used overseas.
Wait? Isn’t responding on social media using the internet culturally appropriating America!!
The insanity goes both ways.
it is some kind of hate crime? It is all so confusing to me.
___________________________
Not confusing, Grasshopper. Easy.
White=evil. To be marginalized, heckled and eventually enslaved and killed.
LOL! I haven’t seen that one in a long time.
Kinda rings true, huh?
Is Jeremy Lam appropriating my internet again? And using my English language again?
We are all cultural appropriators.
We eat megatons of Chinese, Italian and Mexican food.
Good pint! Lam and the other jerks like him have to stop using social media. Can’t have them using our internet!
I’ll never figure out what turns people into such idiots. Hateful idiots, at that.
Has the original patent on the wheel expired yet?
The internet was invented by an Ameican. What is a Chinese doing using it?
Unless I’m mistaken, “Lam” is as Chinese a name as “Jeremy.”
Oh, the irony of Asians being offended at someone copying them!
“This piece of clothing embraced femininity, confidence and gender equality through its beautiful, eye-catching appearance.”
Does Jeremy Lam consider gender selection by abortion to be “equality”?
Because he must be using a different kind of math.
Better yet, he should stop appropriating our culture and stop using electric lights, flush toilets, automobiles, . . .
“OK, let’s really get down on this, ‘cultural appropriation’ thing.
I won’t wear your traditional dress - but you have to give up indoor plumbing, automobiles, higher mathematics, the rule of law, and all the other culture and technology you appropriated and copied from Western Europe and the USA.
See how you like honey pots and ox carts and working an abacus.”
That is, BY FAR, the most SPOT-ON response I’ve EVER read on FR!
Wow. Just, WOW! You totally NAILED it! :)
these snowflakes need to be melted, with a blowtorch...
Dressing up like a rug is the only way Bill Clinton will sleep wih Hillary.
I just returned from a business trip to Japan. I was offended by all the Japanese people wearing jeans and tennis shoes.
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