ASB has recently made efforts to promote school diversity. For example, they hosted a diversity forum during a congressional meeting. However, not all efforts have been sensitive toward minorities.

By Karen Xia and Neda Shahiar

White supermodels Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner, among others, sported dreadlocks during their “avant-garde” walk for Marc Jacobs a couple of weeks ago during New York Fashion Week.

Jacobs was praised by Vogue for his ingenuity, yet when Black actress Zendaya Coleman sported dreadlocks on the red carpet, a fashion commentator said her hair “is making her a little more boho. I feel like she smells like patchouli oil. Or weed.”

Instances in which white people, such as Jacobs and his models, adopt different aspects of cultures and turn them into fads–without respect for the original culture–are called “cultural appropriation.”

Cultural appropriation is further being encouraged by the Associated Student Body for Sept. 28’s spirit day, called “World Day.”

During homecoming week, ASB designates each of the five school days to be spirit days. Students dress up in costumes according to the theme for that day. Past themes have included beach day, pajama day, and space day.

The instructions for World Day are to “wear anything from another culture.”

These instructions promote the idea that people should simply cherry pick different aspects of cultures that are viewed as trendy or humorous—bindis, kimonos, sombreros—without understanding the background of these items or how groups have been ridiculed or oppressed for wearing them.

In a community where students have been made fun of for their Indian accents and stopped by police or called terrorists based on their ethnicities, allowing students to mindlessly mimic parts of another culture is not an effective means of promoting diversity.

Individuals belonging to marginalized groups are often unable to convey their cultures through their dress without being viewed as “outsiders” or “foreigners.” Yet, white people like Hadid and Jenner have the privilege of wearing any item from a different culture because their skin color protects them from prejudices that people of color, like Coleman, face for the same actions.

This display of privilege is unfair to marginalized groups, and thus should not be encouraged.

Additionally, culture isn’t simply the clothing we wear—it is built through customs and norms, art, music, literature, and many other aspects of a collective group.

Culture is not a cute costume that we may don for the sake of entertainment or style. By making cultural dress a spirit day costume, we equate it with the other costumes such as pajamas, alien outfits, and giraffe onesies. This degrades various cultures and diminishes their value and historical significance.

“I don’t think World Day was really a good idea, because you’re just dressing up as another culture for one day,” said Joel Navarro, ASB member and president of the Latino Student Union. “You’re just wearing a costume, and people won’t ask you why you’re wearing it.”

Although the idea of cultural costumes is a form of cultural appropriation, the lunchtime World Day event planned by ASB is a form of cultural appreciation. Cultural and ethnic clubs were invited to share aspects of their culture at booths set up in the quad. This is effective because instead of simply donning a trend of a culture, students have the opportunity to experience and learn about authentic traditions.

This was an admirable choice from ASB, and to further promote such awareness, students should be encouraged to dress in clothing of their own cultures–not adopt that of others.

World Day was not created with malicious intent, but rather to promote diversity. Ultimately, however, it stems from an ignorance regarding the difference between cultural appreciation and appropriation. In the future, we ought to be more sensitive when creating spirit days, and deeply consider the means by which we promote diversity.

The flyer, shared by ASB, lists “anything multicultural, sports jerseys from anywhere in the world, cultural clothing, colors of your favorite country’s flag, etc.” as ideas for World Day attire.