When we hear the words “cultural appropriation,” most might think of the Kardashians wearing cornrows, or Native American headdresses on Halloween. The appropriation of Asian cultures isn’t usually the first thought to come to mind, as we are often disregarded and not as high of a priority in American eyes.

To what extent are there demographic differences in defining cultural appropriation, using fashion in America as a case study? Major magazine industries, such as Vogue and other designer brands, have recently been under fire for using various Asian cultural motifs.

Cultural appropriation is defined as the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of a people or society by members of another, typically more dominant group of people or society. Cultural appropriation has become a new medium for ignorance in social media, and, more recently, in fashion.

There is a lot of inappropriate behavior with Asians and their “stereotypes”. At my school one day, the dean was reading out a list of possible classes you could take. She was mentioning that one of the languages you can take was Chinese and immediately I heard “ching chong” from the people by me, and I heard other people laugh

It’s a fine line between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation, a delicate situation, sparking vicious debates up to many contrasting opinions and perspectives. The technical definition of cultural appropriation, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is “the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture.”

Growing up in Hong Kong, our family always went to a particular floating seafood restaurant, because one of my uncles worked there so we could get a nice table with a good service and excellent food.