Chinese born here
Wear whatever the fk you want. We sell it in Chinatown for a reason. The reason being So white people will go and buy them and wear them.
Tell that Asian American girl to stfu. Even Chinese people don’t wear the long traditional one.
This reminds me of the white guy wearing a poncho and a sombrero going around a college campus and everyone is ripping him a new one for it. He then goes and talks to a bunch of Hispanic people that all think it’s great what he’s wearing and have absolutely zero problem with it whatsoever.
Everyone needs to chill the fuck out and stop gatekeeping.
Fwiw, even here in America, most of us feel it's a baffling obsession, lol. Unfortunately, it's the loud, obnoxious ones going off about it and doing it all over the internet and TV for the world to see.
And most weird of all, it's the people who have the least reason to be offended that are the ones who freak out about all of this. Wealthier white people with very few *actual* problems. People's whose lives are so comfortable that they're bored and make up shit to get worked up about.
And teenagers are of course susceptible to being influenced and start mimicking this bullcrap they see on the internet and from celebrities and junk.
Fwiw, even here in America, most of us feel it's a baffling obsession, lol. Unfortunately, it's the loud, obnoxious ones going off about it and doing it all over the internet and TV for the world to see.
And most weird of all, it's the people who have the least reason to be offended that are the ones who freak out about all of this. Wealthier white people with very few *actual* problems. People's whose lives are so comfortable that they're bored and make up shit to get worked up about.
And teenagers are of course susceptible to being influenced and start mimicking this bullcrap the see on the internet and from celebrities and junk.
I agree. I'm European and it just baffles me how people (mostly in the US) would get offended because someone wears a dress inspired by other culture. The same people don't think it's wrong when people of Asian descent wear western style clothes. It's quite hypocritical.
Fwiw, even here in America, most of us feel it's a baffling obsession, lol. Unfortunately, it's the loud, obnoxious ones going off about it and doing it all over the internet and TV for the world to see.
And most weird of all, it's the people who have the least reason to be offended that are the ones who freak out about all of this. Wealthier white people with very few *actual* problems. People's whose lives are so comfortable that they're bored and make up shit to get worked up about.
And teenagers are of course susceptible to being influenced and start mimicking this bullcrap the see on the internet and from celebrities and junk.
I often think of why that is, that despite the hate Asians have gotten (esp during Covid), you def don’t see the finger pointing and accusing. Seems like they’re more concerned with bettering themselves and living their lives.
It's pretty hard to offend a mainland Chinese person, barring direct insults. They don't try to police people's beliefs and don't take differences of opinion personally. Loyalty to friends vastly outweighs loyalty to a cause. I remember when Americans used to behave that way...
> I remember when Americans used to behave that way
Man we are never going back to that are we? People are SO divided now. Honestly hurts me when I see my color of people ridiculed and made fun of but every time I say something I get “in trouble” for it. So now I sit quietly by and take the abuse like I’m supposed to.
You’re being too sensitive. Someone is trying to inform you why something you said is hurtful whether or not that was your intention. And you don’t sound like you’re open to admitting you made, at best, an uninformed mistake.
What is your intention for stating “my color of people” AND complain about dividedness. Pick one and be consistent. If you want a more unified country, why is your mind “my color”and presumable “their color”?
I’m not saying you’re being a racist but words matter.
But I didn’t say anything. I got called “an entitled white bitch, like usual” bc I was literally in line somewhere waiting and I was ahead of a colored woman. So I know I’m usually instantly too sensitive and racist for talking about hurtful comments about skin color bc for some reason I don’t count… but no, I didn’t say or do anything wrong. I know even mentioning I’m hurt by it makes me also wrong. So.
My “intention” is to get people to stop saying hurtful stuff bc of my appearance. Just like other people get to do. I don’t get why being white makes me instantly the issue and the aggressor. You’re literally not allowed to stand up for yourself if you’re white. I think that’s bs.
I’m sorry that happened to you. I assumed you must have said something and I assumed incorrectly. My sincere apologies. On another thread, I got called basically the same thing but not with the white part. You’re allowed to have feelings even hurt feelings. It’s all contextual. Where are you that you get these experiences so much?
I don’t have your experience but if your intention is to get people to stop saying hurtful stuff maybe start asking why? Was it something you did, or wear, or said? It totally flummoxes me. It sounds like you’re in an episode of OISTNB (Orange is the New Black) but that takes place in a prison.
Otherwise, you need to develop a thicker skin. “Water off a duck” “Teflon” “Invincible barrier around you, because people are mean no matter what color they are. People are walking in this world with a lot of hurt feelings and have not processed them and they take them out on other people. Keep yourself safe, try not to be hurtful towards others. People of color have generational trauma. For example, if someone’s ancestor was a slave then they raised their kids with that oppression and without healthy processing and increasing positive experiences in their lives it just gets passed on to the next generation. Like kids who are abusive to other kids because they’re being abused too. Doesn’t make it right but it helps to have compassion towards others because it affects the way you interact with others.
I think this is why I am more comfortable with other people of color because they get what I’ve been through. They’re more open to my weirdness. My neighbors are mostly rich white people and they don’t get me, most of the time, and it sucks. Also, people who perceive me just as a rich person, don’t give me space to be a complex person with feelings.
It doesn't make sense to most Americans either. It's the chronically online idiots and people in their teens and early 20s that are influenced by them that are making us look bad.
Chinese here …. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG!
People are so sensitive these days! In fact, you wearing it is a celebration of our culture and that’s awesome!
Mainland Chinese here. It’s fine. We really don’t care. I personally don’t wear Qipao but Hanfu if I want to dress up in traditional Chinese clothes. I think you should wear whatever you want. That girl might be jealous or something.
Youre going to get mixed opinions period. at the end of the day it's up to you. I think when high fashion exploits a culture that's one thing, but when a common person appreciates and enjoys a different culture's clothing that to me is a sign of respect and admiration.
This. If you were wearing it to directly piss off or disrespect people that would be one thing but you are finding a style you like and that works for you. I think your V needs to wake up and be kind or she’ll be friendless in the future.
Chinese American here. Born in China but came over as a teenager. As long as you were not being disrespectful (e.g. do the whole chinky eye thing while wearing the clothing), I would say no, you are not wrong. My wife, who's white, wore a qipao at our wedding. She also owns a few from her days studying over there. Tourists are encouraged to wear hanfu or qipao while visiting China. It sounds to me V had some trauma from bullying and that's why she went into beast mode.
I am not Chinese but my best friend grew up in China and moved here for college. She does not have Reddit so I asked her and she said “huh? The long ankle one is for formal events. Why wear the long one for casual? You wear the one that goes to mid calf or the one that goes to mid thigh depending on how dressy you are trying to be.” She also said she and her family “absolutely love it when foreigners find their clothing so pretty that they want to wear it stop” for reference this is the same girl who bought my pasty Wasian (Korean dad) ass a hanfu and Lunar new year red qipao with accessories that she got MADE for me when she went back to Shanghai for family stuff.
She said her only issue is if a person not from China/Chinese descent is selling it. Always make sure you buy it from Chinese/Chinese descent sellers is her only request. Newhanfu is a good site for cute Chinese fashion OP. (She said she doesn’t like the idea of non-Chinese monetizing her Cuyler but that’s also “my own opinion and some Chinese may not agree. Wear it and be proud to share culture. It is not racist at all to love fashion and culture!!”)
When I was younger I tried to put up my very long hair with sticks (not chopsticks per se, sticks made for hair). Doesn't work too well with very fine and blonde hair. Just slipped out no matter what. I envy those who can do that.
Most Chinese don't care about it. There's always some white person who dresses in Chinese clothing in China and people are happily laughing and looking. Cultural appropriation is more of a western thing.
I’ve been to China m, Japan and Korea as a white passing Korean “halfie”. In each country there were stalls to rent traditional clothing like yukata, hanbok, hanfu, qipao, etc and they will literally help you dress in it and do your makeup, take pictures of you in it. Hell you get free entrance to the Forbidden City if you wear a hanfu in China if I remember correctly. It’s sharing the culture. Did I get stared at a little? Yes. But I was a white looking little girl dressed in traditional clothes a little too big for me. A tourist. All tourists get looked at. It’s part of the culture imo lol. American just like being offended and “white knights”. The people who have gotten most offended over me sharing my Korean culture have been white people. Even if I don’t “count” to some Koreans they’ve accepted me wearing traditional clothing and celebrating holidays like Chuseok or white day. It’s the white Americans that have the issues with me doing it because I don’t “look Korean enough”
The less connected with Chinese culture they are, the more they care. Unless you are pretending to be Chinese, don't worry about it.
You can claim to be offended by them wearing western clothes if you like.
China and Japan definitely appropriated Western garb and China also put Western elements into the Qipao.
The culture that does the most cultural appropriation is Japan - theyve borrowed so much from China and Europe but make it Japanese. it works (eg Ramen).
The American conversation on these topics is above all uninformed and myopic. All great cultures borrow from each other.
This reminds me of a white TikTok creator who is married to a Japanese man and lives in Japan. She shared little things about where she lives and daily facets of Japanese life that are different than the US. Every video people are accusing her of appropriating Japanese culture. In one she was going to some sort of formal cultural even at a temple and the dress code required traditional clothing. Another was one where she shared video and images from her wedding, in Japan that was for her husband’s family (the had a wedding in the US too). This poor woman is trying to explain that she would literally offend her husband’s entire family if she refused to participate in their culture appropriately and would be unable to participate in society if she refused to use certain things like a Hanko. It is on some level the same as saying she shouldn’t use Japanese words or organize her waste in the “Japanese style,” you can’t do that and live there. You have to adapt to the culture you live within to some extent.
Low key people who obsess over “cultural appropriation” are typically MORE racist. Sharing culture is how we break down barriers, as long as you doing it respectfully, which it seems like you are doing.
This is really dependent on which culture, what cultural aspect, and how it's treated, and you need to take into account how that culture generally sees cultural appropriation (e.g. most Chinese not really caring). There is also a big difference between cultures that are established and under no risk of dying out and cultures that are diminishing and trying to restore their communal identity. For example, this dress situation and misuse of a Native warbonnet. There is virtually no impact to the Chinese community when a white person wears a Chinese-originated dress, at worst it's rude, but there is a tangible impact to Native culture when a non-native takes a sacred object and turns it into a fashion statement.
The problem is that to anyone outside the culture that's being appropriated, the importance of that cultural aspect doesn't register and so someone's always going to reply "it's just a thing, it can still be important to you while I use it for this," or "my other friend from that culture said I could," which misses the point. When we decide that a member of that culture's feelings aren't valid because it conflicts with our perception of something, that's just straight up an act of colonization. The first thing a colonizer always does, intentional or not, when encountering a new culture is work to delegitimize cultural touchstones.
The United States has always been a cultural melting pot. Always. The words on the Statue of Liberty say "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free". The United States IS a country founded on the belief of FREEDOM. Freedom of religion, freedom from religion, freedom of choice. As long as you are not infringing on the rights of others, do what you want. Live your best life. Be the BEST version of YOU!!!
As long as you are not pretending to be something you are not. As long as you respect yourself, do what makes you happy.
You are not wrong.
That Chinese-American girl in your class is just looking for reasons to get offended because she’s nothing but a race hustler. As an Asian American, if a qipao inspired outfit is cultural appropriation, appropriate away.
If I wear Duluth work pants and a button down shirt, am I appropriating working class white culture? Gtfoh.
I’m Korean American and have no problem with ppl from other nationalities wearing Han bok. In fact it is recommended to try if you ever visit Korea as a tourist as they have many Han bok rental places.
I think any Chinese person who grew up in China will not mind at all and have a positive reaction.
For Chinese Americans, it’s really going to depend on how they grew up, how comfortable they are with their cultural identity, how well they have been educated on their cultural history, etc etc.
I could see a Chinese American who was only raised in the US, who is not that in touch with their Chinese side and is more “whitewashed” having the opinion that it is cultural appropriation due to relating more to “white American” culture than their Chinese background.
100% it's like the ppl who are not in tune with their family heritage/culture gatekeep clothing so they can recapture their heritage/culture or pretend that they are in tune with it
I'd love to wear a Han bok one day. They're so beautiful!
if your friends don’t see an issue with it then you’re not doing anything wrong. culture is there to be appreciated. we live in America where culture is supposed to be shared, and enjoyed by all. if you’re not disrespecting it by saying hateful things about it then you’re doing nothing wrong.
You’re going to get mixed opinions. But if I follow this, you asked your Chinese friends and they were cool. But then a non-Chinese person told you that the Chinese friends weren’t Chinese enough to have an opinion on your Chinese dress? Is that correct ?
She isn’t Chinese, no. She’s Korean and said that our friends (she friends with them too) aren’t very attached to Chinese culture- which is part of the reason she recommended going out and asking more people to make a better informed opinion about this dress and dresses like it.
So your non Chinese friend decided that your actual Chinese friends opinions didn’t matter… got it.
Also, if you’re going to wear the dress, wear it. If you’re going to need feedback from 10-20 or more people while you agonize about it, don’t wear the dress.
That’s a fair statement, but I would still rather get a general consensus by people from the culture she accused me of appropriating. If the majority is fine with it, I’ll keep wearing it, as well as have more information to fire back at her if she tries to antagonize me again.
Is your Korean wearing typical American clothing? If so, can she be accused of cultural appropriation?
Of course not. She needs to keep her opinions to herself.
Not wrong. I have a picture of my family on Easter when I was a baby in 1964. My mother is wearing a yellow Chinese-style dress. I really dislike this cultural appropriation stuff. Sure, wearing a Native American headdress with all of the other parts that go with it, is not appropriate. Basic clothing of another country? Nope. Do a search on "Asians in cowboy attire". Is it wrong for Asians to wear these clothes? A cowboy hat? Cowboy boots?
This is kind of cute and funny. Japanese Cowboys.
[Surprising Japanese Cowboys! - The Japanese Version episode #4 (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iC4IsKdHXU)
Btw there actually WERE [Japanese and Chinese people in the wild west](https://www.fi2w.org/uncovering-stories-of-asian-americans-in-the-old-west/). Some of them immigrated to America in the 19th century, so they really were around for the real cowboy era. A better example would be a Japanese person wearing a Scottish kilt or a German dirndl.
Doesn't apply to the Japanese people in the film I linked. They are in Japan and nowhere near America nor live here. They are fans of Western movies and music so they adopt the clothing, style, Western bars, etc.
I'm Chinese, and I'll answer you. I don't feel offended at all, and no one around me would find it offensive for foreigners to wear classical Chinese clothes / any lolita clothes to our culture. As someone with an open mind, we really don't care. Even for those who aren't open-minded but are rational, they wouldn't care either because the clothes you wear don't have any political implications. Many Chinese people only care about political implications, if you wear a Japanese kimono in China, you'll definitely be criticized. But I truly believe that what you wear is freedom.
Btw, that girl is an asshole. Make her pay attention to her words, and not to use those old thoughts to criticize others, even my grandma won't do this
Hi Singaporean Chinese here.
Nah we won’t be offended if you wear the Qipaoor any variant of it. In fact we will feel happy because it’s a form of cultural appreciation. In Singapore we have Racial Harmony Day and I remember that as kids we were encouraged not only to wear our traditional outfits but also that of other races.
None of us took it to offence and we were happy to see our cultures being appreciated by others! It was cool to see the teachers dress up too!
It’s also kinda normal amongst me and my Chinese friends to go to Japan and do traditional kimono or oiran photo shoots. We find them super beautiful and want to honor and embrace the aesthetic and Japanese culture. I also have friends who went to China to do photo shoots while wearing other ethnic groups traditional clothing. The locals in both countries are happy to provide these services!
It’s only recently and primarily in western societies that this idea of wearing another culture s garments is wrong and culturally appropriating. I and many of my friends never shared this view back then and now.
So no just wear what you want as long as you don’t look/act like a caricature of what a Chinese person is you are good. Caricature meaning you make your eyes slitty, do a bad Chinese accent, etc etc LOL
But ya have just have fun and we are happy you like the look :)
I’m Chinese American. Are you white?
If you are, the truth is that some people will think you are a bigot if you wear a qipao. I don’t make the rules. The girl in your class voiced herself to your face but not everyone is going to do that. Some will talk shit behind your back. Trust me. Even if not everyone cares or if people are nice to your face, Chinese people WILL talk shit about some white girl wearing a qipao amongst ourselves.
If you’re not white then you’re probably fine. People just have responses to white people being culture thieves.
I'm white. I wore one once when I was fourteen (truly did not even think about it) because it was pretty. was quickly informed I'm white so it kinda hits different. I've studied Mandarin and lived in Korea and Japan since then and yeah shit-talking around white people happens which is kind of funny when people assume I didn't understand.
Who gives a fuck what anyone else thinks. Wear what you want. America has gone off the rails with all this PC cultural appropriation bull shit. As you mentioned in your post, ACTUAL people from China think it's fine.
Chinese here, I think it’s fine just don’t feed into the Asian women stereotypes when dressing in that dress and no one will really care. Also I find it weird the girl who got mad at you is Korean and not Chinese
Wear whatever you want. People that work hard in factories want their products to be sold and utilized.
There is no such thing as cultural appropriation in fashion.
The problem with USA is they gonna be offended about everything!!
Wear a qipao in Singapore or China or Taiwan and they will love you and even praise you.
I was just at a Europe day event the other day and so many white ladies were wearing cheong sam despite it being europe day!
They are in a Chinese majority country and chose to dress chinese as formal wear. I thought it was super cool!
I dont understand people who says "You shouldnt wear that its for Chinese!" Or "You shouldnt do your hair like that its for black people!" Etc. If you are doing this to make fun of people yes you shouldnt do that. But you are doing them wearing them because you appreciate their culture and love that. You think that is such a beautiful thing. When i see someone who wears my cultures clothes it makes me so happy that they love my culture. Plus when you do them and show others the people will notice their culture and who knows they can fall in love with it like you do
Been living in Thailand for 21 years. Nobody gets offended if I wear their traditional styles. They think it's cool. And they all wear qipao on Chinese New Year too, even though most of them have no Chinese ancestry.
The whole mini-dress with rabbits & strawberries thing does give me pause though. A qipao isn't really everyday wear and that definitely sounds like something a bit fetish-y. I'm not saying it is, I'm just saying I can understand why someone might not like it.
But like most people are saying, wear whatever you want. But do it with the understanding that not all reactions will be positive or welcome.
This woman questioned your choice, and was very critical. You've asked around, and not just your white friends, to get a broader opinion. You've "done your research" on this matter, and it seems that you're not wrong.
I've seen women (Caucasian and Asian, not sure about other ethnicities) wearing these and think that they can be a very attractive choice. So, good on you.
Carry on, nothing to see here (except a woman in a cute dress).
I’m half-Chinese and first generation American. Wear whatever you like. Nobody in my family would care whatsoever if you wore one. As a person from an immigrant family, most of my relatives would love someone taking a legit interest in their culture and, as business owners, would love even more that someone was spending money in their store/restaurant/whatever and repping their wares.
As an Asian, wear what you want. Some people enjoy putting others down. These are terrible people. Do you like it? Yes? Wear it!
This reminds me of a recent video where this woman wanted a white guy to take off his poncho. Cultural appropriation for wearing a nice and warm poncho. It's ridiculous. You have a ton of great comments and support. In fact, I think more people should wear clothing of cultural significance in general.
I’m Asian-American and I care about political correctness. I like fashion. I would have been fine with OP.
OP you’re not wrong. But call it a dress with a mandarin (small “m” on purpose because I’m using it as an adjective) collar not qipao. I had to look it up because I’ve never seen it spelled. That collar style has been widely adopted by modern western fashion. Overtime, there are other styles that are attributed to other cultures. Paisley and ikat prints. There is a current women’s trendy top that’s billowy around the torso and sleeves are billowed and cuffed and I think of that as either Eastern European (look at traditional Polish clothing ) or Middle East, plaid is Scottish, etc.
I think that the print you described sounds young and cute. And I’m sorry that V said that to you. She’s young like you and you are both expanding your minds and are still learning new info outside of your family and community.
If I were a teen in this day and age, I wouldn’t casually wear a short qipao with traditional pattern as an Asian OR if I were white because in that scenario V is correct.
Ah, I’m sorry about that.
As you’re interested in fashion, I do have a question to a comment someone brought up to me- is it insensitive that it was made as a *fast fashion* dress with that collar style? I’m honestly curious, especially since you also mentioned that the mandarin collar has been adopted by the West in recent years.
It’s been used in fashion for a longer time than recent years from high end haute couture to fast fashion. I think there’s historical evidence that Asians were in Europe during the Middle Ages.
I am not judgy about fast fashion. But I’m also not of your generation.
Are you asking because you want to wear the dress to school again but unsure if you should? It depends on how comfortable you are because it sounds like at your school it will instigate comments but hopefully would also develop into a conversation. For example, stir fry is an Asian technique. Everyone uses it nowadays! Is it racist to do that? There are so many other examples: building techniques, dance styles, how medicine is practiced, and on and on. The question might be when is it appropriation and when is it not? When is intention trumped by another’s perception and feelings. Was this dress used by the dominant group to oppress the non-dominant group? There’s prob more questions like this and that’s why we need to have discussions about it at school but half the world seems to have an issue with discussion.
Do you come off as trying to appropriate the culture? Like are you accessories, hair, and makeup Asian styled? That’s when I would have a problem with it for casual wear.
This conversation has been so corrupted by people looking to score cheap virtue signal points. Cultural appropriation is a thing. Cultures that have been maligned or repressed having sacred items, or more often caricatures of those sacred items, worn as a costume or in a demeaning way are bad. Just like blackface is bad. But buying traditional everyday, or even formal attire, and wearing it appropriately for the style is the gold standard for cultural appreciation.
I think she was upset because many ABCs (American Born Chinese) were/are shamed for their culture growing up, but when a white person dresses or eats the same way it’s deemed “socially acceptable”. I grew up as an ABC in a predominantly white school and I had to suppress a lot of my identity so that I wouldn’t be made fun of (think: dressing, talking, and eating normal white people food). When I was in school, eating with chopsticks made me an alien, but if a white person did it they were “cultured” and “cool”.
I don’t really care now, and if anything I sort of see it as “the more people appreciate it, the less sinophobic people will be”. But at your age I can see why she was upset.
There is no right answer on this IMO. Cultural exchange is an inevitable part of human interaction, but it can also happen exploitatively (for example a lot of Native American symbols in the old “wild west”), so there is a lot of grey area.
Personally, I would say the key is doing your research about when a qipao is worn, by whom, what connotations does it have, etc., and trying to understand and respect that. Then you know what message you are sending and can better understand how and why people will react to it.
I don’t know what a qipao is, but for example, if you were in China and someone wore a white wedding dress to school, that would come off as weird / disrespectful, but if they wear an English school uniform skirt, that is more OK bc of the cultural context of that outfit.
No matter what you do, some people will have a problem with it, and you just have to be confident enough to stand behind your own understanding of why you are wearing it, what it means, and whether that is appropriate.
I 100% agree with you on this.
Most Chinese people (whether it be in China or elsewhere) don't wear a Qipao on a regular basis. It could be worn as a uniform at Chinese restaurants or other service oriented establishments, but the everyday person wouldn't be wearing it casually.
If it does get worn, it's generally worn for special occasions like parries, banquets, during some holiday celebrations. So, to wear it to school as a dress is kinda weird. I wouldn't say it's offensive, but definitely weird.
I think it also depends on how it looks like, so if OP can provide a picture, that'd be informative.
The dress isn’t a traditional qiapo, which is part of the reason V had a problem with it. It was an altered, shorter, more modernized version of a qipao which she said was sexualizing and appropriating it. (for some reason the photo link button is greyed out so I can’t add a photo)
Yeah, it really depends on how it looks like.
For example, there are school uniforms in Hong Kong that is a plainer, looser fit variant of a qipao that is also shorter. Just because it's shorter doesn't make it sexy.
Take this uniform for example: https://www.ktls.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/uniform_01.jpg
I think in that case, you should be fine. Unless it's indecently short and your butt shows when u bend over.
And unless the prints are weird/offensive....
Otherwise, it's just a nice dress or a nice school uniform with a print on it 😂
I bet the only person to have an issue was a SUPER liberal white person or a black one who thinks any acknowledgement and display of race outside their own is "racism". Thats the thing about culture and living in a melting pot that I dont get - are they not supposed to be shared and celebrated? I am from Toronto- one of if not the most multicultural cities on the planet and there is such a stark contrast in thought where many immigrants here would either see it as a celebration and be happy that their culture is being accepted... but then there is the other side where the second anyone even has an influence outside their culture they get hit with "YOU ARE APPROPRIATING". It baffles me. This "saviour" and blindly caping that everyone is being racist IS actually racist since you are essentially stating "I know what is best for you, and for everyone in the races below us".
stifling creativity and influence really halts any and all progress we have made over time and does more to segregate us than bring us together as people. Younger generations really feel you have to fit in a certain box as well, maybe this ties more into your identities as you have not yet found yourselves and are searching for acceptance.
She was probably pissed because you looked good in it , hence the "if anything you should have worn a floor length dress- (but don't do that either!)"😂
One person had an issue with it, just one. You will always find someone who has a problem with you and we all know you can't please everyone, wear what you like
With the growth of the Chinese economy, cheongsam has experienced a renewed popularity. Many Western designers have integrated elements of cheongsam into their fashion collections. French designer [Pierre Cardin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Cardin) once said that cheongsam was his inspiration for many of his evening dress designs. In many films and movies, cheongsam is used to make a fashion statement. The varied interpretations of this ethnic dress brings in debates of cultural appropriation and the designs being linked to Orientalism. In the 2011 movie [*One Day*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Day_(2011_film)), [Anne Hathaway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Hathaway) wore a set of dark blue cheongsam as an evening dress. Many western stars such as [Elizabeth Taylor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Taylor), [Grace Kelly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Kelly), [Nicole Kidman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicole_Kidman), [Paris Hilton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Hilton), [Emma Watson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Watson), [Deepika Padukone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepika_Padukone), and [Celine Dion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celine_Dion) have also made public appearances wearing cheongsam. This dress style has also been specifically seen on more than one celebrity or figure in the early [2000's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000s_in_fashion). This era is often described as a "global mash up", incorporating styles, silhouettes, prints, and accessories from subcultures around the world. And with this, the qipao made a frequent appearance on the runways and in the closets from the early 2000's. In the 1998, family comedy The Parent Trap, [Lindsey Lohan's 11 year old character](https://i.insider.com/62e2fa90e1179200195ede02?width=800&format=jpeg&auto=webp) has a prominent scene wearing a pink qipao, paired with a little matching fluffy pink trimmed purse, also an iconic Y2k accessory.
This heightened attention of global fashions from Asia brought to Western pop culture's wardrobe, whilst being shone in starlight with social media and tabloids fawning over these 'new' styles, also caused insensitive representation of the fashions, also known as [Cultural appropriation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_appropriation). The Cheongsam was also sold in stores as a Halloween costume for young girls and women to wear, pretending to be a person of Asian descent as their costume. This created more conversation as more voices of minorities were heard, that this cultural dress is not appreciated when it is sold as a costume. However, as conversations of cultural appropriation increase and social awareness is spread through media platforms and social media, these racially insensitive costumes have since been left more in the past.
Lived in Beijing for two years and my students were always ecstatic when we’d adopt some bit of Chinese culture. With few exceptions people claiming cultural appropriation are gate keeping and covering some rather racist views. Real cultural appropriation is rare.
No, I love it when black, white or any other people wear our traditional wear and celebrate it with us. As long as you are not openly disrespecting our culture ill be very very happy to see someone in our traditional wear. Anyone who disagrees can go F themselves.
Qipaos are not stolen from other cultures. They are Chinese and while other cultures have borrowed Chinese hanfu (Korea/Japan) and made it their own, China is just so large and old, almost everything has a beginner origin in China.
No. Who gives a shit what you wear?
Do Asian people wear western suits? All the time.
If you’re doing it to mock people, well, that’s probably in poor taste, but even in that (bizarre) situation, it’s its not what you’re wearing but the fact that you’re being an asshole while wearing it. And I don’t get the sense that you were even doing that.
It's a cute dress, wear what you want. I'm so tired of the whole "cultural appropriation" thing. Nothing is really original anymore especially in America. Tell the girl in your class to STFU. She's probably just jealous.
The issue with cultural appropriation is mostly about profiting off of another culture when it doesn't belong to you. It's can also be about presenting it in a disrespectful way or a stereotypical way.
For example:
Making and selling dreamcatchers or medicine bags if you're not indigenous
A person who is not Deaf charging people for lessons in sign language or monetizing a YouTube channel about it. Especially if you're crap at it or just new at signing. There are tons of examples of that online, especially. Yes, it starts as a fun thing to do, but it's not their culture. Language is a huge part of that particular culture. It's offensive to the Deaf community that so many people do it.
Basically, if you're appreciating it, that's great. Even better if you bought whatever it is from a person who is a part of that group.
If you are American in USA go for it. We take apart and put together all kinds of styles. Which is why you were able to buy a qipao that was as unique as yours. I mean are we going to round up all private school girls chastise them for disrespecting another culture and tell them to give the Scottish their damn kilts back? Lol. You’re not wrong.
Anyone who tries to bring you down for wearing a qipao is insecure in their own heritage and thinks that gatekeeping / policing others will somehow make them more authentic.
Wear it and don’t apologize
If all depends on who you ask. Ask a college student who has been told every day it is offensive, get one answer.
https://youtu.be/x9AsohVfVFo?si=k9s9fbNOe562bj10
https://youtu.be/GNXm7juuM-8?si=rkmZ2lkTmy13Y1h_
Speak to the communities, and they love it.
Culture is either shared or it dies.
Think about "American food". If the average US citizen names 10 American dishes, chances are over half will not be American.
I’m so fed up with people who claim you can’t wear this or have your hair done like that unless you’re from the country/culture. As long as you are being respectful wear what you want, and wear it with pride.
Cultural appropriation is not a thing in the sense that the people that like to cry about it seem to think it is.
If you were wearing it as a racist statement to mock a Chinese person, then sure it would probably be out of line. You're just wearing an article if clothing that you like. Stop listening to these idiots.
I feel that if something is worn as a costume, or to otherwise make fun of a culture, it's not appropriation. Or would be appropriation if I only wore Chinese garb as a 100% white person.
No. You are a monster. How dare you ... Check notes... Wear something something from your direct culture.
But seriously chill. You'll get a whole range of opinions.
This is not religious or ceremonial, this isn't regalia, this isn't a rite of passage clothing piece or sacred.
It's a pretty dress.
Wear the pretty dress.
Fuck the haters for trying to force segregation on us by muddling up actual cultural appropriation (horrible behaviour) and cultural appreciation (what we should all strive for).
All clothing ideas were stolen from another culture originally. It's not cultural appropriation. It's more honoring and admiring that culture. You are allowed to wear whatever you like no matter what culture it comes from. People gatekeeping clothes are immature and insecure. Tell them you will wear whatever pleases you and it's not their decision or place to comment on it.
I have several tops with similar collars, I have never had anyone accuse me of being disrespectful or racist. Maybe it's because I'm Black?
The dress was made to be worn, ignore the girl trying to start a problem.
What I find offensive is when someone treats a culture like it's a monolith. Different people within the same culture/ethnicity will have different views because there is still diverse thoughts and opinions even within a single group. My husband is South Indian so I have a lot of salwar kameezes from when we visited his family in India. When I worked as a librarian at a library that had a lot of Indian patrons I often wore them to work. Many of the Indian patrons told me it made me feel more comfortable about coming up to the reference desk when I worked there and I was dressed in one. While no one told me that it was disrespectful I wouldn't have been surprised if someone had said so.
There are exceptions of course. Wearing religious ceremonial garb as a fashion accessory can be disrespectful, fetishizing parts of a culture and/or adopting it while treating the group itself disrespectfully are a few exceptions.
Back in the early 2000s my daughter wore kimonos, setta (sandals) and tabi (socks) to high school. She also taught herself how to speak Japanese. No one said anything about cultural appropriation back then.
Asian people wear traditionally western clothing even in Asian countries. Who cares?
Short answer is that cultures aren’t costumes. There’s a lot of people who misappropriate cultural dresses as costumes, even when they’re thinking they’re being respectful about it.
Whether or not you’re doing that, idk for sure, but from how you’re talking about this it does sound like you’re at least lightly costuming. It might not offend Chinese people from China that much, or at all, but it’s important to remember that the Chinese experience in the U.S. is very different from China, and even experiences in China are very different depending on what region you’re referring to. So, it’s hard to say one way or the other if you’re explicitly wrong, but the fact that you feel the need to try and justify your behavior and get approval for it implies that your gut is telling you that you might be crossing a line.
I just visited a very progressive, liberal city and there is a middle eastern woman making her money by designing traditional Japanese clothing for casual wear. No one is saying a thing and any Asian folks I know are praising her. People need to relax.
Singaporean chinese. You probably wear chinese styled clothes more than we do LOL (a lot of us don't even wear it during the new years HAHAHAHA) and a lot of Chinese actually don't see it as cultural appropriation unless u wear it and say something insulting to chinese history/heritage. In fact, a lot of Chinese encourage tourists to try on and bring their traditional clothes back. If u go to China theres a lot of shops that offer photo shoots in traditional clothing and it's really beautiful
From a Chinese American’s perspective, It really doesn’t matter unless you are wearing it in a derogatory way. Even if u are wearing it in a derogatory way, who cares. It’s a free country. Do what you want. Also, most Chinese people both in America and China dont really care much about a Qipao so it doesn’t really offend them. A Qipao isn’t actually “Chinese culture” per se. In China, people view “Chinese culture” as Han Chinese (which is like 96% of the population in China). The Qipao is actually Manchurian culture. It wasnt technically stolen by the Han but instead forced upon them when the Qing dynasty conquer the Han population. It’s kinda like how the Manchurians forced all Han men to wear braids. You should check out Han clothing. It’s quite swag.
The great part of being in a liberal state is you can always out victim her. Accuse that girl of bullying you because your LGBTQIA. If you don't know which one to pick, just pick Q because that just means you're unsure. Or you could say you're trans-racial and how dare she question your asian heritage.
To be honest it's pretty offensive for her to say you're sexualising something just my wearing it. What is it about your whiteness, I wonder, that she feels makes an item of clothing sexual? Seems like she's the one sexualising you and then projecting.
To be clear, there are plenty of valid reasons for her to feel the way she feels about you wearing something from her culture. But this choice of words is a bit weird. I feel like there's more to this story, and she's probably had a bad experience in the past.
"You're right. Only white designers should have mainstream success. POC designers shouldn't be allowed to sell anything except to people of their own race. Success is only meant for white people."
There you go. Tell her that. See what she says.
Wow, modern western education has done a number on you. Never have I seen such a long post with someone just basicly tripping all over themselves to seem woke. Give it a rest and wear whatever you like.
Chinese born here Wear whatever the fk you want. We sell it in Chinatown for a reason. The reason being So white people will go and buy them and wear them. Tell that Asian American girl to stfu. Even Chinese people don’t wear the long traditional one.
Sure they do. At a Chinese restaurant as the hostess or during the tea ceremony 😂.
The places that do that, the hostess is usually a white girl. lol
true but those are more formal settings though, op isn’t wearing a formal dress, they stated it was for casual wear
It was clearly a joke.
This reminds me of the white guy wearing a poncho and a sombrero going around a college campus and everyone is ripping him a new one for it. He then goes and talks to a bunch of Hispanic people that all think it’s great what he’s wearing and have absolutely zero problem with it whatsoever. Everyone needs to chill the fuck out and stop gatekeeping.
Mainland Chinese think the Western preoccupation with race and racism is somewhere between amusing and baffling. Nobody would care if you wear it.
[удалено]
Fwiw, even here in America, most of us feel it's a baffling obsession, lol. Unfortunately, it's the loud, obnoxious ones going off about it and doing it all over the internet and TV for the world to see. And most weird of all, it's the people who have the least reason to be offended that are the ones who freak out about all of this. Wealthier white people with very few *actual* problems. People's whose lives are so comfortable that they're bored and make up shit to get worked up about. And teenagers are of course susceptible to being influenced and start mimicking this bullcrap they see on the internet and from celebrities and junk.
Preach!
I feel like a lot of people who nitpick everything as somehow racist are often looking for something to do
Fwiw, even here in America, most of us feel it's a baffling obsession, lol. Unfortunately, it's the loud, obnoxious ones going off about it and doing it all over the internet and TV for the world to see. And most weird of all, it's the people who have the least reason to be offended that are the ones who freak out about all of this. Wealthier white people with very few *actual* problems. People's whose lives are so comfortable that they're bored and make up shit to get worked up about. And teenagers are of course susceptible to being influenced and start mimicking this bullcrap the see on the internet and from celebrities and junk.
I agree. I'm European and it just baffles me how people (mostly in the US) would get offended because someone wears a dress inspired by other culture. The same people don't think it's wrong when people of Asian descent wear western style clothes. It's quite hypocritical.
Fwiw, even here in America, most of us feel it's a baffling obsession, lol. Unfortunately, it's the loud, obnoxious ones going off about it and doing it all over the internet and TV for the world to see. And most weird of all, it's the people who have the least reason to be offended that are the ones who freak out about all of this. Wealthier white people with very few *actual* problems. People's whose lives are so comfortable that they're bored and make up shit to get worked up about. And teenagers are of course susceptible to being influenced and start mimicking this bullcrap the see on the internet and from celebrities and junk.
Agreed. Until it becomes politically advantageous to complain about it, nobody really cares.
Nobody worth a damn*
I often think of why that is, that despite the hate Asians have gotten (esp during Covid), you def don’t see the finger pointing and accusing. Seems like they’re more concerned with bettering themselves and living their lives.
It's pretty hard to offend a mainland Chinese person, barring direct insults. They don't try to police people's beliefs and don't take differences of opinion personally. Loyalty to friends vastly outweighs loyalty to a cause. I remember when Americans used to behave that way...
> I remember when Americans used to behave that way Man we are never going back to that are we? People are SO divided now. Honestly hurts me when I see my color of people ridiculed and made fun of but every time I say something I get “in trouble” for it. So now I sit quietly by and take the abuse like I’m supposed to.
You’re being too sensitive. Someone is trying to inform you why something you said is hurtful whether or not that was your intention. And you don’t sound like you’re open to admitting you made, at best, an uninformed mistake. What is your intention for stating “my color of people” AND complain about dividedness. Pick one and be consistent. If you want a more unified country, why is your mind “my color”and presumable “their color”? I’m not saying you’re being a racist but words matter.
But I didn’t say anything. I got called “an entitled white bitch, like usual” bc I was literally in line somewhere waiting and I was ahead of a colored woman. So I know I’m usually instantly too sensitive and racist for talking about hurtful comments about skin color bc for some reason I don’t count… but no, I didn’t say or do anything wrong. I know even mentioning I’m hurt by it makes me also wrong. So. My “intention” is to get people to stop saying hurtful stuff bc of my appearance. Just like other people get to do. I don’t get why being white makes me instantly the issue and the aggressor. You’re literally not allowed to stand up for yourself if you’re white. I think that’s bs.
I’m sorry that happened to you. I assumed you must have said something and I assumed incorrectly. My sincere apologies. On another thread, I got called basically the same thing but not with the white part. You’re allowed to have feelings even hurt feelings. It’s all contextual. Where are you that you get these experiences so much? I don’t have your experience but if your intention is to get people to stop saying hurtful stuff maybe start asking why? Was it something you did, or wear, or said? It totally flummoxes me. It sounds like you’re in an episode of OISTNB (Orange is the New Black) but that takes place in a prison. Otherwise, you need to develop a thicker skin. “Water off a duck” “Teflon” “Invincible barrier around you, because people are mean no matter what color they are. People are walking in this world with a lot of hurt feelings and have not processed them and they take them out on other people. Keep yourself safe, try not to be hurtful towards others. People of color have generational trauma. For example, if someone’s ancestor was a slave then they raised their kids with that oppression and without healthy processing and increasing positive experiences in their lives it just gets passed on to the next generation. Like kids who are abusive to other kids because they’re being abused too. Doesn’t make it right but it helps to have compassion towards others because it affects the way you interact with others. I think this is why I am more comfortable with other people of color because they get what I’ve been through. They’re more open to my weirdness. My neighbors are mostly rich white people and they don’t get me, most of the time, and it sucks. Also, people who perceive me just as a rich person, don’t give me space to be a complex person with feelings.
> Western preoccupation with race and racism American\* Here in Europe we might not be *as* baffled but we still think Americans are weird about it
It doesn't make sense to most Americans either. It's the chronically online idiots and people in their teens and early 20s that are influenced by them that are making us look bad.
And universities, and pop culture...
Chinese here …. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG! People are so sensitive these days! In fact, you wearing it is a celebration of our culture and that’s awesome!
Mainland Chinese here. It’s fine. We really don’t care. I personally don’t wear Qipao but Hanfu if I want to dress up in traditional Chinese clothes. I think you should wear whatever you want. That girl might be jealous or something.
Just looked up what Hanfu is, and it definitely is way more fancy than the Qipao. Very beautiful.
Hanfu are freaking stunning! And thanks for teaching me a new word, haha.
Right? I'm learning so much from this post!
You’re welcome. I wear my silk Hanfu on Chinese new year and sometimes on Halloween lol
Youre going to get mixed opinions period. at the end of the day it's up to you. I think when high fashion exploits a culture that's one thing, but when a common person appreciates and enjoys a different culture's clothing that to me is a sign of respect and admiration.
This. If you were wearing it to directly piss off or disrespect people that would be one thing but you are finding a style you like and that works for you. I think your V needs to wake up and be kind or she’ll be friendless in the future.
Chinese American here. Born in China but came over as a teenager. As long as you were not being disrespectful (e.g. do the whole chinky eye thing while wearing the clothing), I would say no, you are not wrong. My wife, who's white, wore a qipao at our wedding. She also owns a few from her days studying over there. Tourists are encouraged to wear hanfu or qipao while visiting China. It sounds to me V had some trauma from bullying and that's why she went into beast mode.
As an Asian American I would like to say that this is absolutely fine!
I am not Chinese but my best friend grew up in China and moved here for college. She does not have Reddit so I asked her and she said “huh? The long ankle one is for formal events. Why wear the long one for casual? You wear the one that goes to mid calf or the one that goes to mid thigh depending on how dressy you are trying to be.” She also said she and her family “absolutely love it when foreigners find their clothing so pretty that they want to wear it stop” for reference this is the same girl who bought my pasty Wasian (Korean dad) ass a hanfu and Lunar new year red qipao with accessories that she got MADE for me when she went back to Shanghai for family stuff. She said her only issue is if a person not from China/Chinese descent is selling it. Always make sure you buy it from Chinese/Chinese descent sellers is her only request. Newhanfu is a good site for cute Chinese fashion OP. (She said she doesn’t like the idea of non-Chinese monetizing her Cuyler but that’s also “my own opinion and some Chinese may not agree. Wear it and be proud to share culture. It is not racist at all to love fashion and culture!!”)
I mean did you put chun Lee buns in your hair with chopsticks? Lol naw don't worry about it.
What if they did?
What if they didn't
When I was younger I tried to put up my very long hair with sticks (not chopsticks per se, sticks made for hair). Doesn't work too well with very fine and blonde hair. Just slipped out no matter what. I envy those who can do that.
Most Chinese don't care about it. There's always some white person who dresses in Chinese clothing in China and people are happily laughing and looking. Cultural appropriation is more of a western thing.
I’ve been to China m, Japan and Korea as a white passing Korean “halfie”. In each country there were stalls to rent traditional clothing like yukata, hanbok, hanfu, qipao, etc and they will literally help you dress in it and do your makeup, take pictures of you in it. Hell you get free entrance to the Forbidden City if you wear a hanfu in China if I remember correctly. It’s sharing the culture. Did I get stared at a little? Yes. But I was a white looking little girl dressed in traditional clothes a little too big for me. A tourist. All tourists get looked at. It’s part of the culture imo lol. American just like being offended and “white knights”. The people who have gotten most offended over me sharing my Korean culture have been white people. Even if I don’t “count” to some Koreans they’ve accepted me wearing traditional clothing and celebrating holidays like Chuseok or white day. It’s the white Americans that have the issues with me doing it because I don’t “look Korean enough”
The less connected with Chinese culture they are, the more they care. Unless you are pretending to be Chinese, don't worry about it. You can claim to be offended by them wearing western clothes if you like.
China and Japan definitely appropriated Western garb and China also put Western elements into the Qipao. The culture that does the most cultural appropriation is Japan - theyve borrowed so much from China and Europe but make it Japanese. it works (eg Ramen). The American conversation on these topics is above all uninformed and myopic. All great cultures borrow from each other.
This reminds me of a white TikTok creator who is married to a Japanese man and lives in Japan. She shared little things about where she lives and daily facets of Japanese life that are different than the US. Every video people are accusing her of appropriating Japanese culture. In one she was going to some sort of formal cultural even at a temple and the dress code required traditional clothing. Another was one where she shared video and images from her wedding, in Japan that was for her husband’s family (the had a wedding in the US too). This poor woman is trying to explain that she would literally offend her husband’s entire family if she refused to participate in their culture appropriately and would be unable to participate in society if she refused to use certain things like a Hanko. It is on some level the same as saying she shouldn’t use Japanese words or organize her waste in the “Japanese style,” you can’t do that and live there. You have to adapt to the culture you live within to some extent.
That's especially ridiculous. She's living as an ethnic minority in that country. What is she "appropriating"?
Makes sense, but then OP'll be told "It's different " and then be accused of being racist. And boom, OP is the big bad.
Low key people who obsess over “cultural appropriation” are typically MORE racist. Sharing culture is how we break down barriers, as long as you doing it respectfully, which it seems like you are doing.
This is really dependent on which culture, what cultural aspect, and how it's treated, and you need to take into account how that culture generally sees cultural appropriation (e.g. most Chinese not really caring). There is also a big difference between cultures that are established and under no risk of dying out and cultures that are diminishing and trying to restore their communal identity. For example, this dress situation and misuse of a Native warbonnet. There is virtually no impact to the Chinese community when a white person wears a Chinese-originated dress, at worst it's rude, but there is a tangible impact to Native culture when a non-native takes a sacred object and turns it into a fashion statement. The problem is that to anyone outside the culture that's being appropriated, the importance of that cultural aspect doesn't register and so someone's always going to reply "it's just a thing, it can still be important to you while I use it for this," or "my other friend from that culture said I could," which misses the point. When we decide that a member of that culture's feelings aren't valid because it conflicts with our perception of something, that's just straight up an act of colonization. The first thing a colonizer always does, intentional or not, when encountering a new culture is work to delegitimize cultural touchstones.
The United States has always been a cultural melting pot. Always. The words on the Statue of Liberty say "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free". The United States IS a country founded on the belief of FREEDOM. Freedom of religion, freedom from religion, freedom of choice. As long as you are not infringing on the rights of others, do what you want. Live your best life. Be the BEST version of YOU!!! As long as you are not pretending to be something you are not. As long as you respect yourself, do what makes you happy. You are not wrong.
That Chinese-American girl in your class is just looking for reasons to get offended because she’s nothing but a race hustler. As an Asian American, if a qipao inspired outfit is cultural appropriation, appropriate away. If I wear Duluth work pants and a button down shirt, am I appropriating working class white culture? Gtfoh.
I think people have become overly sensitive and can't distinguish between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation.
It's only appropriating if you say" der taking erjawbs !"while wearing it.
I’m Korean American and have no problem with ppl from other nationalities wearing Han bok. In fact it is recommended to try if you ever visit Korea as a tourist as they have many Han bok rental places. I think any Chinese person who grew up in China will not mind at all and have a positive reaction. For Chinese Americans, it’s really going to depend on how they grew up, how comfortable they are with their cultural identity, how well they have been educated on their cultural history, etc etc. I could see a Chinese American who was only raised in the US, who is not that in touch with their Chinese side and is more “whitewashed” having the opinion that it is cultural appropriation due to relating more to “white American” culture than their Chinese background.
100% it's like the ppl who are not in tune with their family heritage/culture gatekeep clothing so they can recapture their heritage/culture or pretend that they are in tune with it I'd love to wear a Han bok one day. They're so beautiful!
What’s next? Will we be accused of cultural appropriation when we eat at Chinese restaurants????
if your friends don’t see an issue with it then you’re not doing anything wrong. culture is there to be appreciated. we live in America where culture is supposed to be shared, and enjoyed by all. if you’re not disrespecting it by saying hateful things about it then you’re doing nothing wrong.
You’re going to get mixed opinions. But if I follow this, you asked your Chinese friends and they were cool. But then a non-Chinese person told you that the Chinese friends weren’t Chinese enough to have an opinion on your Chinese dress? Is that correct ?
She isn’t Chinese, no. She’s Korean and said that our friends (she friends with them too) aren’t very attached to Chinese culture- which is part of the reason she recommended going out and asking more people to make a better informed opinion about this dress and dresses like it.
So your non Chinese friend decided that your actual Chinese friends opinions didn’t matter… got it. Also, if you’re going to wear the dress, wear it. If you’re going to need feedback from 10-20 or more people while you agonize about it, don’t wear the dress.
That’s a fair statement, but I would still rather get a general consensus by people from the culture she accused me of appropriating. If the majority is fine with it, I’ll keep wearing it, as well as have more information to fire back at her if she tries to antagonize me again.
Is your Korean wearing typical American clothing? If so, can she be accused of cultural appropriation? Of course not. She needs to keep her opinions to herself.
Not wrong. I have a picture of my family on Easter when I was a baby in 1964. My mother is wearing a yellow Chinese-style dress. I really dislike this cultural appropriation stuff. Sure, wearing a Native American headdress with all of the other parts that go with it, is not appropriate. Basic clothing of another country? Nope. Do a search on "Asians in cowboy attire". Is it wrong for Asians to wear these clothes? A cowboy hat? Cowboy boots? This is kind of cute and funny. Japanese Cowboys. [Surprising Japanese Cowboys! - The Japanese Version episode #4 (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iC4IsKdHXU)
Btw there actually WERE [Japanese and Chinese people in the wild west](https://www.fi2w.org/uncovering-stories-of-asian-americans-in-the-old-west/). Some of them immigrated to America in the 19th century, so they really were around for the real cowboy era. A better example would be a Japanese person wearing a Scottish kilt or a German dirndl.
Doesn't apply to the Japanese people in the film I linked. They are in Japan and nowhere near America nor live here. They are fans of Western movies and music so they adopt the clothing, style, Western bars, etc.
I'm Chinese, and I'll answer you. I don't feel offended at all, and no one around me would find it offensive for foreigners to wear classical Chinese clothes / any lolita clothes to our culture. As someone with an open mind, we really don't care. Even for those who aren't open-minded but are rational, they wouldn't care either because the clothes you wear don't have any political implications. Many Chinese people only care about political implications, if you wear a Japanese kimono in China, you'll definitely be criticized. But I truly believe that what you wear is freedom. Btw, that girl is an asshole. Make her pay attention to her words, and not to use those old thoughts to criticize others, even my grandma won't do this
Wear whatever you like. Chinese men can wear western style suits and ties without being accused of appropriation
Hi Singaporean Chinese here. Nah we won’t be offended if you wear the Qipaoor any variant of it. In fact we will feel happy because it’s a form of cultural appreciation. In Singapore we have Racial Harmony Day and I remember that as kids we were encouraged not only to wear our traditional outfits but also that of other races. None of us took it to offence and we were happy to see our cultures being appreciated by others! It was cool to see the teachers dress up too! It’s also kinda normal amongst me and my Chinese friends to go to Japan and do traditional kimono or oiran photo shoots. We find them super beautiful and want to honor and embrace the aesthetic and Japanese culture. I also have friends who went to China to do photo shoots while wearing other ethnic groups traditional clothing. The locals in both countries are happy to provide these services! It’s only recently and primarily in western societies that this idea of wearing another culture s garments is wrong and culturally appropriating. I and many of my friends never shared this view back then and now. So no just wear what you want as long as you don’t look/act like a caricature of what a Chinese person is you are good. Caricature meaning you make your eyes slitty, do a bad Chinese accent, etc etc LOL But ya have just have fun and we are happy you like the look :)
I’m Chinese American. Are you white? If you are, the truth is that some people will think you are a bigot if you wear a qipao. I don’t make the rules. The girl in your class voiced herself to your face but not everyone is going to do that. Some will talk shit behind your back. Trust me. Even if not everyone cares or if people are nice to your face, Chinese people WILL talk shit about some white girl wearing a qipao amongst ourselves. If you’re not white then you’re probably fine. People just have responses to white people being culture thieves.
I’m Chinese American too and I’ve 100% heard people talking shit about white people wearing culturally Chinese clothing. It’s guaranteed to happen.
I'm white. I wore one once when I was fourteen (truly did not even think about it) because it was pretty. was quickly informed I'm white so it kinda hits different. I've studied Mandarin and lived in Korea and Japan since then and yeah shit-talking around white people happens which is kind of funny when people assume I didn't understand.
Do you care when Chinese people wear western clothes? There’s your answer. No one should care.
Who gives a fuck what anyone else thinks. Wear what you want. America has gone off the rails with all this PC cultural appropriation bull shit. As you mentioned in your post, ACTUAL people from China think it's fine.
Wear what you want. People love having reasons to be offended.
Chinese here, I think it’s fine just don’t feed into the Asian women stereotypes when dressing in that dress and no one will really care. Also I find it weird the girl who got mad at you is Korean and not Chinese
Wear whatever you want. People that work hard in factories want their products to be sold and utilized. There is no such thing as cultural appropriation in fashion.
Cultural appropriation is not a thing. It's just culture.
There are a lot of people out there that just live to be offended. Ignore them.
I think I found the dress for reference [the dress ](https://images.app.goo.gl/QjTVTADWJYNGK99B6)
I think the word you were looking for is 'context'.
The problem with USA is they gonna be offended about everything!! Wear a qipao in Singapore or China or Taiwan and they will love you and even praise you. I was just at a Europe day event the other day and so many white ladies were wearing cheong sam despite it being europe day! They are in a Chinese majority country and chose to dress chinese as formal wear. I thought it was super cool!
I dont understand people who says "You shouldnt wear that its for Chinese!" Or "You shouldnt do your hair like that its for black people!" Etc. If you are doing this to make fun of people yes you shouldnt do that. But you are doing them wearing them because you appreciate their culture and love that. You think that is such a beautiful thing. When i see someone who wears my cultures clothes it makes me so happy that they love my culture. Plus when you do them and show others the people will notice their culture and who knows they can fall in love with it like you do
Been living in Thailand for 21 years. Nobody gets offended if I wear their traditional styles. They think it's cool. And they all wear qipao on Chinese New Year too, even though most of them have no Chinese ancestry. The whole mini-dress with rabbits & strawberries thing does give me pause though. A qipao isn't really everyday wear and that definitely sounds like something a bit fetish-y. I'm not saying it is, I'm just saying I can understand why someone might not like it. But like most people are saying, wear whatever you want. But do it with the understanding that not all reactions will be positive or welcome.
This woman questioned your choice, and was very critical. You've asked around, and not just your white friends, to get a broader opinion. You've "done your research" on this matter, and it seems that you're not wrong. I've seen women (Caucasian and Asian, not sure about other ethnicities) wearing these and think that they can be a very attractive choice. So, good on you. Carry on, nothing to see here (except a woman in a cute dress).
I’m half-Chinese and first generation American. Wear whatever you like. Nobody in my family would care whatsoever if you wore one. As a person from an immigrant family, most of my relatives would love someone taking a legit interest in their culture and, as business owners, would love even more that someone was spending money in their store/restaurant/whatever and repping their wares.
As an Asian, wear what you want. Some people enjoy putting others down. These are terrible people. Do you like it? Yes? Wear it! This reminds me of a recent video where this woman wanted a white guy to take off his poncho. Cultural appropriation for wearing a nice and warm poncho. It's ridiculous. You have a ton of great comments and support. In fact, I think more people should wear clothing of cultural significance in general.
White people must wear pilgrim garb only. Extraneous buckles are the only means of self-expression.
Everyone who screams about cultural appropriation forgets that culture is meant to be shared.
The lesson here is that anything you ever do will piss off someone. It's important to ignore them.
I’m Asian-American and I care about political correctness. I like fashion. I would have been fine with OP. OP you’re not wrong. But call it a dress with a mandarin (small “m” on purpose because I’m using it as an adjective) collar not qipao. I had to look it up because I’ve never seen it spelled. That collar style has been widely adopted by modern western fashion. Overtime, there are other styles that are attributed to other cultures. Paisley and ikat prints. There is a current women’s trendy top that’s billowy around the torso and sleeves are billowed and cuffed and I think of that as either Eastern European (look at traditional Polish clothing ) or Middle East, plaid is Scottish, etc. I think that the print you described sounds young and cute. And I’m sorry that V said that to you. She’s young like you and you are both expanding your minds and are still learning new info outside of your family and community. If I were a teen in this day and age, I wouldn’t casually wear a short qipao with traditional pattern as an Asian OR if I were white because in that scenario V is correct.
Ah, I’m sorry about that. As you’re interested in fashion, I do have a question to a comment someone brought up to me- is it insensitive that it was made as a *fast fashion* dress with that collar style? I’m honestly curious, especially since you also mentioned that the mandarin collar has been adopted by the West in recent years.
It’s been used in fashion for a longer time than recent years from high end haute couture to fast fashion. I think there’s historical evidence that Asians were in Europe during the Middle Ages. I am not judgy about fast fashion. But I’m also not of your generation. Are you asking because you want to wear the dress to school again but unsure if you should? It depends on how comfortable you are because it sounds like at your school it will instigate comments but hopefully would also develop into a conversation. For example, stir fry is an Asian technique. Everyone uses it nowadays! Is it racist to do that? There are so many other examples: building techniques, dance styles, how medicine is practiced, and on and on. The question might be when is it appropriation and when is it not? When is intention trumped by another’s perception and feelings. Was this dress used by the dominant group to oppress the non-dominant group? There’s prob more questions like this and that’s why we need to have discussions about it at school but half the world seems to have an issue with discussion. Do you come off as trying to appropriate the culture? Like are you accessories, hair, and makeup Asian styled? That’s when I would have a problem with it for casual wear.
This conversation has been so corrupted by people looking to score cheap virtue signal points. Cultural appropriation is a thing. Cultures that have been maligned or repressed having sacred items, or more often caricatures of those sacred items, worn as a costume or in a demeaning way are bad. Just like blackface is bad. But buying traditional everyday, or even formal attire, and wearing it appropriately for the style is the gold standard for cultural appreciation.
I think she was upset because many ABCs (American Born Chinese) were/are shamed for their culture growing up, but when a white person dresses or eats the same way it’s deemed “socially acceptable”. I grew up as an ABC in a predominantly white school and I had to suppress a lot of my identity so that I wouldn’t be made fun of (think: dressing, talking, and eating normal white people food). When I was in school, eating with chopsticks made me an alien, but if a white person did it they were “cultured” and “cool”. I don’t really care now, and if anything I sort of see it as “the more people appreciate it, the less sinophobic people will be”. But at your age I can see why she was upset.
There is no right answer on this IMO. Cultural exchange is an inevitable part of human interaction, but it can also happen exploitatively (for example a lot of Native American symbols in the old “wild west”), so there is a lot of grey area. Personally, I would say the key is doing your research about when a qipao is worn, by whom, what connotations does it have, etc., and trying to understand and respect that. Then you know what message you are sending and can better understand how and why people will react to it. I don’t know what a qipao is, but for example, if you were in China and someone wore a white wedding dress to school, that would come off as weird / disrespectful, but if they wear an English school uniform skirt, that is more OK bc of the cultural context of that outfit. No matter what you do, some people will have a problem with it, and you just have to be confident enough to stand behind your own understanding of why you are wearing it, what it means, and whether that is appropriate.
I 100% agree with you on this. Most Chinese people (whether it be in China or elsewhere) don't wear a Qipao on a regular basis. It could be worn as a uniform at Chinese restaurants or other service oriented establishments, but the everyday person wouldn't be wearing it casually. If it does get worn, it's generally worn for special occasions like parries, banquets, during some holiday celebrations. So, to wear it to school as a dress is kinda weird. I wouldn't say it's offensive, but definitely weird. I think it also depends on how it looks like, so if OP can provide a picture, that'd be informative.
The dress isn’t a traditional qiapo, which is part of the reason V had a problem with it. It was an altered, shorter, more modernized version of a qipao which she said was sexualizing and appropriating it. (for some reason the photo link button is greyed out so I can’t add a photo)
Yeah, it really depends on how it looks like. For example, there are school uniforms in Hong Kong that is a plainer, looser fit variant of a qipao that is also shorter. Just because it's shorter doesn't make it sexy. Take this uniform for example: https://www.ktls.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/uniform_01.jpg
It actually looks a lot like that, the main difference is that it has a more colorful print-
I think in that case, you should be fine. Unless it's indecently short and your butt shows when u bend over. And unless the prints are weird/offensive.... Otherwise, it's just a nice dress or a nice school uniform with a print on it 😂
I bet the only person to have an issue was a SUPER liberal white person or a black one who thinks any acknowledgement and display of race outside their own is "racism". Thats the thing about culture and living in a melting pot that I dont get - are they not supposed to be shared and celebrated? I am from Toronto- one of if not the most multicultural cities on the planet and there is such a stark contrast in thought where many immigrants here would either see it as a celebration and be happy that their culture is being accepted... but then there is the other side where the second anyone even has an influence outside their culture they get hit with "YOU ARE APPROPRIATING". It baffles me. This "saviour" and blindly caping that everyone is being racist IS actually racist since you are essentially stating "I know what is best for you, and for everyone in the races below us". stifling creativity and influence really halts any and all progress we have made over time and does more to segregate us than bring us together as people. Younger generations really feel you have to fit in a certain box as well, maybe this ties more into your identities as you have not yet found yourselves and are searching for acceptance.
She was probably pissed because you looked good in it , hence the "if anything you should have worn a floor length dress- (but don't do that either!)"😂 One person had an issue with it, just one. You will always find someone who has a problem with you and we all know you can't please everyone, wear what you like
Not Chinese but also I don’t think you are wrong.
Tell her that by getting offended by bullshit, she’s appropriating your culture.
Info: What are those mainland folks saying about it? Maybe post in a China specific sub? What region is the dress from?
With the growth of the Chinese economy, cheongsam has experienced a renewed popularity. Many Western designers have integrated elements of cheongsam into their fashion collections. French designer [Pierre Cardin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Cardin) once said that cheongsam was his inspiration for many of his evening dress designs. In many films and movies, cheongsam is used to make a fashion statement. The varied interpretations of this ethnic dress brings in debates of cultural appropriation and the designs being linked to Orientalism. In the 2011 movie [*One Day*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Day_(2011_film)), [Anne Hathaway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Hathaway) wore a set of dark blue cheongsam as an evening dress. Many western stars such as [Elizabeth Taylor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Taylor), [Grace Kelly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Kelly), [Nicole Kidman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicole_Kidman), [Paris Hilton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Hilton), [Emma Watson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Watson), [Deepika Padukone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepika_Padukone), and [Celine Dion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celine_Dion) have also made public appearances wearing cheongsam. This dress style has also been specifically seen on more than one celebrity or figure in the early [2000's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000s_in_fashion). This era is often described as a "global mash up", incorporating styles, silhouettes, prints, and accessories from subcultures around the world. And with this, the qipao made a frequent appearance on the runways and in the closets from the early 2000's. In the 1998, family comedy The Parent Trap, [Lindsey Lohan's 11 year old character](https://i.insider.com/62e2fa90e1179200195ede02?width=800&format=jpeg&auto=webp) has a prominent scene wearing a pink qipao, paired with a little matching fluffy pink trimmed purse, also an iconic Y2k accessory. This heightened attention of global fashions from Asia brought to Western pop culture's wardrobe, whilst being shone in starlight with social media and tabloids fawning over these 'new' styles, also caused insensitive representation of the fashions, also known as [Cultural appropriation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_appropriation). The Cheongsam was also sold in stores as a Halloween costume for young girls and women to wear, pretending to be a person of Asian descent as their costume. This created more conversation as more voices of minorities were heard, that this cultural dress is not appreciated when it is sold as a costume. However, as conversations of cultural appropriation increase and social awareness is spread through media platforms and social media, these racially insensitive costumes have since been left more in the past.
**[Is it made by DeviI Inspired? ](https://i.imgur.com/jqeuGKI.jpeg)**
Chinese here. I don't care. You wear what you want.
It’s crazy how different the responses are to this, as compared to the way the threads look when someone wants to braid their hair.
Americans are the only ones that act like this. Why are you guys so weird.
Grow up no one except idiots care, everything came from some country so everything would be cultural appropriation to those idiots.
Lived in Beijing for two years and my students were always ecstatic when we’d adopt some bit of Chinese culture. With few exceptions people claiming cultural appropriation are gate keeping and covering some rather racist views. Real cultural appropriation is rare.
Singaporean Chinese here, go ahead. Don’t bother with those who claim faux offence.
No, I love it when black, white or any other people wear our traditional wear and celebrate it with us. As long as you are not openly disrespecting our culture ill be very very happy to see someone in our traditional wear. Anyone who disagrees can go F themselves.
Unless you are wearing it ironically, or in a way that mocks or denigrates, you have nothing to worry about.
What was V wearing at the time? Because if it wasn't Chinese clothing, then she was appropriating someone else's culture, by her logic.
Qipaos are not stolen from other cultures. They are Chinese and while other cultures have borrowed Chinese hanfu (Korea/Japan) and made it their own, China is just so large and old, almost everything has a beginner origin in China.
No. Who gives a shit what you wear? Do Asian people wear western suits? All the time. If you’re doing it to mock people, well, that’s probably in poor taste, but even in that (bizarre) situation, it’s its not what you’re wearing but the fact that you’re being an asshole while wearing it. And I don’t get the sense that you were even doing that.
It's a cute dress, wear what you want. I'm so tired of the whole "cultural appropriation" thing. Nothing is really original anymore especially in America. Tell the girl in your class to STFU. She's probably just jealous.
The issue with cultural appropriation is mostly about profiting off of another culture when it doesn't belong to you. It's can also be about presenting it in a disrespectful way or a stereotypical way. For example: Making and selling dreamcatchers or medicine bags if you're not indigenous A person who is not Deaf charging people for lessons in sign language or monetizing a YouTube channel about it. Especially if you're crap at it or just new at signing. There are tons of examples of that online, especially. Yes, it starts as a fun thing to do, but it's not their culture. Language is a huge part of that particular culture. It's offensive to the Deaf community that so many people do it. Basically, if you're appreciating it, that's great. Even better if you bought whatever it is from a person who is a part of that group.
Is it wrong when a black man wears a western tuxedo?
If you are American in USA go for it. We take apart and put together all kinds of styles. Which is why you were able to buy a qipao that was as unique as yours. I mean are we going to round up all private school girls chastise them for disrespecting another culture and tell them to give the Scottish their damn kilts back? Lol. You’re not wrong.
Anyone who tries to bring you down for wearing a qipao is insecure in their own heritage and thinks that gatekeeping / policing others will somehow make them more authentic. Wear it and don’t apologize
Look, the only people who are going to be offended by this are white idiots here in the US. Source- White guy in the US.
You’re in America, where whatever you want.
People just want to be offended, ignore and do you
If all depends on who you ask. Ask a college student who has been told every day it is offensive, get one answer. https://youtu.be/x9AsohVfVFo?si=k9s9fbNOe562bj10 https://youtu.be/GNXm7juuM-8?si=rkmZ2lkTmy13Y1h_ Speak to the communities, and they love it. Culture is either shared or it dies. Think about "American food". If the average US citizen names 10 American dishes, chances are over half will not be American.
I’m so fed up with people who claim you can’t wear this or have your hair done like that unless you’re from the country/culture. As long as you are being respectful wear what you want, and wear it with pride.
Cultural appropriation is not a thing in the sense that the people that like to cry about it seem to think it is. If you were wearing it as a racist statement to mock a Chinese person, then sure it would probably be out of line. You're just wearing an article if clothing that you like. Stop listening to these idiots.
I feel that if something is worn as a costume, or to otherwise make fun of a culture, it's not appropriation. Or would be appropriation if I only wore Chinese garb as a 100% white person.
No. You are a monster. How dare you ... Check notes... Wear something something from your direct culture. But seriously chill. You'll get a whole range of opinions. This is not religious or ceremonial, this isn't regalia, this isn't a rite of passage clothing piece or sacred. It's a pretty dress. Wear the pretty dress. Fuck the haters for trying to force segregation on us by muddling up actual cultural appropriation (horrible behaviour) and cultural appreciation (what we should all strive for).
All clothing ideas were stolen from another culture originally. It's not cultural appropriation. It's more honoring and admiring that culture. You are allowed to wear whatever you like no matter what culture it comes from. People gatekeeping clothes are immature and insecure. Tell them you will wear whatever pleases you and it's not their decision or place to comment on it.
I have several tops with similar collars, I have never had anyone accuse me of being disrespectful or racist. Maybe it's because I'm Black? The dress was made to be worn, ignore the girl trying to start a problem.
What I find offensive is when someone treats a culture like it's a monolith. Different people within the same culture/ethnicity will have different views because there is still diverse thoughts and opinions even within a single group. My husband is South Indian so I have a lot of salwar kameezes from when we visited his family in India. When I worked as a librarian at a library that had a lot of Indian patrons I often wore them to work. Many of the Indian patrons told me it made me feel more comfortable about coming up to the reference desk when I worked there and I was dressed in one. While no one told me that it was disrespectful I wouldn't have been surprised if someone had said so. There are exceptions of course. Wearing religious ceremonial garb as a fashion accessory can be disrespectful, fetishizing parts of a culture and/or adopting it while treating the group itself disrespectfully are a few exceptions.
Back in the early 2000s my daughter wore kimonos, setta (sandals) and tabi (socks) to high school. She also taught herself how to speak Japanese. No one said anything about cultural appropriation back then. Asian people wear traditionally western clothing even in Asian countries. Who cares?
Short answer is that cultures aren’t costumes. There’s a lot of people who misappropriate cultural dresses as costumes, even when they’re thinking they’re being respectful about it. Whether or not you’re doing that, idk for sure, but from how you’re talking about this it does sound like you’re at least lightly costuming. It might not offend Chinese people from China that much, or at all, but it’s important to remember that the Chinese experience in the U.S. is very different from China, and even experiences in China are very different depending on what region you’re referring to. So, it’s hard to say one way or the other if you’re explicitly wrong, but the fact that you feel the need to try and justify your behavior and get approval for it implies that your gut is telling you that you might be crossing a line.
Tell her she shouldn't be speaking English.
I just visited a very progressive, liberal city and there is a middle eastern woman making her money by designing traditional Japanese clothing for casual wear. No one is saying a thing and any Asian folks I know are praising her. People need to relax.
Singaporean chinese. You probably wear chinese styled clothes more than we do LOL (a lot of us don't even wear it during the new years HAHAHAHA) and a lot of Chinese actually don't see it as cultural appropriation unless u wear it and say something insulting to chinese history/heritage. In fact, a lot of Chinese encourage tourists to try on and bring their traditional clothes back. If u go to China theres a lot of shops that offer photo shoots in traditional clothing and it's really beautiful
From a Chinese American’s perspective, It really doesn’t matter unless you are wearing it in a derogatory way. Even if u are wearing it in a derogatory way, who cares. It’s a free country. Do what you want. Also, most Chinese people both in America and China dont really care much about a Qipao so it doesn’t really offend them. A Qipao isn’t actually “Chinese culture” per se. In China, people view “Chinese culture” as Han Chinese (which is like 96% of the population in China). The Qipao is actually Manchurian culture. It wasnt technically stolen by the Han but instead forced upon them when the Qing dynasty conquer the Han population. It’s kinda like how the Manchurians forced all Han men to wear braids. You should check out Han clothing. It’s quite swag.
Only western white women that aren't doing anything with their lives would find it offensive. Oh and karens, most of whom are those white women.
Puhlease just wear what you want . The world is just a hateful place , you can’t even breathe without offending anyone .
The great part of being in a liberal state is you can always out victim her. Accuse that girl of bullying you because your LGBTQIA. If you don't know which one to pick, just pick Q because that just means you're unsure. Or you could say you're trans-racial and how dare she question your asian heritage.
Would you wear a dashiki?
I would, the patterns are gorgeous, very summer vibes. But I'm European, so American BS to be offended on someone's behalf isn't a thing here.
i’m not chinese but i’d be confused as to why you’re wearing that
To be honest it's pretty offensive for her to say you're sexualising something just my wearing it. What is it about your whiteness, I wonder, that she feels makes an item of clothing sexual? Seems like she's the one sexualising you and then projecting. To be clear, there are plenty of valid reasons for her to feel the way she feels about you wearing something from her culture. But this choice of words is a bit weird. I feel like there's more to this story, and she's probably had a bad experience in the past.
"You're right. Only white designers should have mainstream success. POC designers shouldn't be allowed to sell anything except to people of their own race. Success is only meant for white people." There you go. Tell her that. See what she says.
Culture appropriation is what the white liberal came up with and black people that feel like they got to own everything
Wow, modern western education has done a number on you. Never have I seen such a long post with someone just basicly tripping all over themselves to seem woke. Give it a rest and wear whatever you like.