We recently discussed the bizarre attacks on Utah senior Keziah Daum, 18, for wearing a Chinese Choengsam (also known as a qipao) dress to her prom at Woods Cross High School. Various people responded to her posting as blatant cultural appropriation. Now China has responded and said thank you for appropriating us.
Chinese citizens however are sending their support and saying that, like most of us, they are delighted that people are adopting their styles and traditions. The South China Morning Post reports that Chinese showered Daum with such praise as “Very elegant and beautiful! Really don’t understand the people who are against her, they are wrong!”
Indeed, they are. And Daum is rightfully now an international sensation.
It just boggles the mind how these irrational arguments get such a head of steam. There is no such thing as “cultural appropriation.” That implies that it is wrong when aspects of one nation spread to others. For instance, the wheel. Spices. Cuisine. Fashion.
Have we been culturally appropriating fashion from France for hundreds of years? Would the seamstresses and designers have been better served if their wares were firmly caged inside their country? Should all the tea go back to China? After all, tea would never even have been grown in most of its current geographical area without other nations becoming delighted with tea.
If someone likes something, they will use and enjoy it – art, fashion, design, innovation, warfare tactics, livestock, horses, training.
The teenager looked lovely. She didn’t care who designed her dress. She thought it was unique and lovely, so she wore it to the most important dance of her life. That is showing respect to a designer. That is tolerance.
All of this identity politics and finding outrage at innocence is exhausting. People should stop all the online harassment and bullying of this young lady.
Karen S – the flu is cultural appropriation. 🙂
Humans started wearing clothes 170,00 years ago. We need to know which humans did so. Everyone else has been appropriating them.
jeff – exactly which humans and what clothing? 😉
Paul, I think Jeff means skins – appropriated from the animals. =)
Autumn – not appropriated from animals????? Oh, the horror!!!!
Paul, lately I’ve been appropriating Italian culture by watching their films =) One that might appeal to you is
“Spettacolo”
“Spettacolo tells the story of Montichiello, a small town of 136 in Tuscany that puts on a yearly play in their city center, and would be otherwise unremarkable if not for the subject matter of the plays themselves. Years ago, the town decided to stop putting on their yearly takes on the classic folk tales and historical dramas and embraced their town’s history. They began making plays about themselves, starting with how the town was saved from the Nazis by the courage of a young woman from Leipzig, and from then on they’d produce plays about the mood of the town in that previous year. They went through the financial crisis, endured the encroachment of land-hungry foreigners who want to restore farm houses for their two week vacations, and remain strong and resilient. But everyone involved is getting older, and when the patriarch of the whole endeavor passes away and the bank holding the funds for the play folds, the entire tradition is put in jeopardy.”
http://www.vanyaland.com/2017/03/15/sxsw-film-documentary-spettacolo-restrained-look-italian-autodrama/
Autumn – two films to put on your current list are Isle of Dogs and The Death of Stalin. A film you should run down is The 10th Victim with Marcello Mastroianni. Fascinating Italian film from 1965.
Isle of Dogs was terriffic, you’re spot on there Paul.
willbill99 – see The Death of Stalin, you will be glad you did. 😉 It is a very black comedy.
Thanks, Paul. Sounds good to me.
Thanks for the film recommendations Paul. On my list =)
I think the goats (as in goatskins) and other animals need to rise up and demand reparations for cultural appropriation of their skins for clothes.
The Chinese are delighted that she picked one of their fashions. What is the big problem here? These triggered people need to get a life. She looked lovely and elegant and did credit to the gown. If she had somehow trashed the way she appeared while wearing it, maybe I could say it was insulting. But this
“cultural appropriation” is just plain nuts. Give it a rest, SJW’s!!!
By the way, the next time I visit an Italian restaurant, I hope there are only Italians there. Or I’m going viral for high crimes and misdemeanors in the ingestion of chickhen parmesan or fettucine alfredo. But I have to be careful or someone may claim the noodles were discovered in China by Marco Polo.
Sofia – none of the problems you complain about can be attributed to my GP, The drug regime I am on requires that I drink a lot of coffee to stay awake. That complicates my sleep schedule. However, at my age, I am older than any in my family has ever been. 😉 I will probably outlive one more of my younger siblings, sadly.
I think it would be great if a lot more women wore these fashions.
No, she’s overexposed. Also, the heels. Leave that sort of thing to Melania Trump.
Agree.
Chinese must be laughing their collective arses off that this dress stirred up controversy. Best thing to do is ignore the demented SJWs.
Sofia – are you auditioning to be my new GP? My current one is a national Top Doctor and friend. You would have to go a ways to beat that. 😉
It’s a dress.
Utah is the last place I’d expect the appearance of issues dear to the deeply neurotic left.
I’m sick of this cultural appropriate claptrap!
Who cares? Whiners are snowflakes in drag.
Most people think as what was expressed by these Chinese. It is the mass and social media that speak the loudest and provide a false sense of strength in their numbers. That is the rational explanation but probably more satisfying is Akeem’s retort:
Mainland Chinese students have suggested that the Chinese government bring her to China to thank her for wearing the dress. That would screw with some minds. 😉
and don’t youi anti appropriaters forget these two items. When you go to a Mexican style restaurant you are not appropiating a culture unless you go whole hog and eat the menudo. Second When you vote for higher taxes you are appropriating the life style of the working class which ranges from CEOs to janitors. So what’s your excuse for appropriating our air?
and don’t youi anti appropriaters forget these two items. When you go to a Mexican style restaurant you are not appropiating a culture unless you go whole hog and eat the menudo.
DSS – menudo is only really effective if you were really really drunk the night before. 😉
The girl said she found the dress in a thrift shop and thought it was beautiful. Her wearing of the dress shows appreciation and respect. The Chinese people recognize that; unfortunately, Chinese -American college students who have had their heads filled with leftist drivel are missing the point.
Was it Chinese American that complained or just some fat hog from Fresno?
More like the latter.
🙂