cultural appropriation: can white people wear a sari? 

Hey! Remember you can download Busuu and activate your 7-days free trial. Unlock Busuu Premium here: bit.ly/Busuu_Shaaba Let me know your corresponding brain farts on the video too, would love to have a chat about this one x

I went to China on a school trip two years ago, and my exchange partner refused to let me leave the country without a traditional outfit in my luggage. So we went to multiple stores and bought me one. It was a great opportunity to learn more about the Chinese history and culture, and also a great bonding moment for the both of us. As the whitest of the whites, I wouldn't necessarily feel comfortable wearing it to school or in the streets because I wouldn't want anyone to think I purchased some random thing off Wish and I'm mocking Chinese people by wearing it, but it's an item of clothing I cherish deeply and I love wearing it at home and feeling absolutely fabulous in it. I think the line between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation can sometimes be kinda blurry, so we, as white people, need to be extra careful when considering those grey areas, make sure we listen to what people from that group say and respect their feelings and culture. Also Shabaa I absolutely love your brain farts !! It's such an interesting conversation to have

“White, brown, green,” Yes you put that henna on shrek

This was the least toxic ramble on cultural appropriation I've ever heard! Also, I think we'd all like more 'Shaaba's Brain Farts'!

A good example of appreciation and not appropriation: I was thrilled to go to a half Hindu/half Christian ceremony last year but definitely took pause when the invite came with a note that strongly encouraged women to wear a sari or a lehenga. They’re SO beautiful and I think we were all excited and appreciate the attire but my friends and I who were not Hindu and were attending were still very much thinking “are we sure this is ok?” We were nervous about it feeling like cultural appropriation right up until the wedding. The entire wedding was meant to be about the blending of cultures so to the people getting married, it was really important. We went to a shop that specifically sold traditional Indian attire in order to find guidance (as opposed to buying online) and I learned how to tie a sari appropriately and the shop owner happily picked out wedding appropriate attire and even adjusted them for us. When I tried on mine she told me it was so perfect on me she wasn’t letting me leave the store without it - it’s a pale blue with gold accents instead of a bright color, so I think it actually worked out better for my super pale complexion. The bride’s aunts all helped us in the morning to make sure all of the younger women from all backgrounds were nicely secured. (No joke, that’s a challenge in a sari). It was a sweet moment and we even received a lot of compliments and appreciation for taking the care to wear them correctly. I really do think it’s all about context, but for us we learned not just about the fabric and decoration required for wedding attire but it pulled us all into the preparation with the extended family and taught us more about the culture the bride had grown up in overall. It took a lot of confirmation from others that this would be appreciated and not offensive and I never thought I’d wear anything like a sari (and while I love mine so much I can only hope one day I’ll have an appropriate reason to wear it again).

I am of Tuareg descent. Basically I have what would be typically considered indian (south asian) complexion with light brown hair and eyes, wavy fine hair (not curly). Women where I come from traditionally braid their hair no mattter its texture (montages of cornrows, variety of knots, and jewellery) in very complex styles to protect it against the sun, heat and sand, but when I braid my hair people think I appropriate Black folks hair styles . When I wear a head cover people think I appropriate some sort of middle eastern custom which I don't ( we live in the Sahara desert : we just cover ourselves on account of you know 50 + celsius and the sand...)... I understand why people jump to conclusions but I'd love it they'd first try to understand what is my heritage, and my intent then maybe they can cry appropriation if they still feel like it'

When I was a child we were friends with an Indian couple. They would swap babysitting and we would go to each other's houses for dinner. When I was 7 they went to India for a wedding and the mom brought me a sari. The next Sunday my mom made sure I wore it to church so that our friend would see that the gift was deeply appreciated, and I never, ever wore it as a costume for parties or Halloween. To me that is appreciation.

honestly, as a European white person, I'm still very very confused about this whole topic. I agree that sharing cultures is exciting and I'm glad cultural appreciation exists, but I also wonder where the line is drawn. my fear is offending people out of ignorance, but I don't want this fear to stop all of us from appreciating other cultures

I think pocahontas would be dicey because she was a real person and from what I've heard from some native american people they feel weird about it bc disney sort of romanticized it but I'm not sure I'm not native american so it doesnt feel like my place to say haha

It's also very important to bring up the point that it's not always possible to tell someone's cultural background simply by looking at them. I've had heaps of people make assumptions about myself based on what they believe my skin tone and hair colour mean.

Forbidding people from engaging with cultures they aren’t biologically connected to seems counterproductive to me. While cultural appropriation isn’t cool to say the least, saying “you aren’t allowed to engage with/experience this because you’ve got XYZ background” just reinforces the us-and-them dynamic that needs to be broken down.

I'm a white female, and I'm trying really hard not to step into the cultural appropiation territory, but the more I think about it, the more confusing it gets. I think it should be pretty obvious that garments considered a part of a sacred ritual or tradition by a certain group shouldn't be used as party outfits, that is just disrespectful. But, although I'm white, I come from a country which is small, has it's own unique traditions, and our own language spoken only by a few million people in the world. I've always felt a certain kinship with other small groups, and I have a huge amount of respect for traditions and different cultures. For me, the discussion about cultural appropriation starts to reach a level where instead of appreciating the diversity of cultures, traditions, ethnicities and the multitude of ways we are being human, we are creating unnecessary boundaries, which, in the end, only divide us more, and that can’t be good. This discussion is needed, and important, and we all need to learn to be respectful of each other's traditions, but I also think cultural exchange is a natural phenomenon, which has always been a part of life.

The thing is that this conversation sometimes goes too far. Of course wearing a war bonnet is a no no, it means so much to the culture of the native American that used it. But wearing feathers (and beads) in the hair is something found in a lot of cultures but people have been attacked for that also. And cancelling people because of something that isn't specific to one culture is just wrong. Also, the swastika was stolen by the Nazis. Here in Iceland a similar sun symbol had to be covered up because tourists found it offensive. It wasn't the swastika, it just looked like it and had been in use by that company since before the Nazis became into power.

people can dress as specific characters as long as they don’t try to alter the look of their skin and features to look like that of another race. costumes are costumes. a race is not a costume.

That Spanish accent was so good❤️❤️❤️🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸 saludos desde Españaa

In my opinion, as long as you’re wearing other culture’s clothing and not mocking that culture it’s fine. We don’t want to separate cultures by saying “you can’t wear this because you’re....”.

Speaking on dressing as witches in case anyone sees this, as a wiccan, we don't really care about pointy hats and black dresses because that's not really part of our culture. The depictions of green-faced cackling witches flying on broomsticks with warts and big noses can hurt sometimes, but I adore seeing little kids dressing up like witches and making "potions" out of mud and leaves, because it gives me hope that future generations will keep our religion alive when it feels like its dying.

Culture is a complicated topic because of what it represents to the people it is instilled in, cultural mixing is important but its also important to remember where it began and how it got to where it is. I think alot of it is teaching people how to respect history and to understand the difference between sympathy and empathy, i.e. feeling a way in response to someone else's response and having experienced and understood what the other person is going through and knowing their feelings instead of adding your own implications and without the fog of distance from the situation.

I'm saying it: If ANY of my friends want me to wear their traditional clothes meant for their culture for any event, I AM DOING IT! I grew up to appreciate everyone's differences and culture and if they want me to experience it fully with their clothing I will do it!

I'm a white female. I purchased a beautiful sari. I'm not wearing it in public only because I don't have anything culturally appropriate to wear it to, but I think it is so beautiful and I just would like to have one to try on at home and I really appreciate the beauty and culture of it.

I'm a cosplayer and there's a lot of characters of different cultures and races that people love and want to cosplay and it's perfectly okay as long as people aren't doing blackface or lightening or darkening their skin to look more like the character

My thought is, if you wear something from another culture, if you are approached, could you defend the use of it and feel really good about it? Example, I can’t think of any way to defend me wearing a Sari/ee. I’ve never been to that part of Asia (I have been to S. E. Asia). It would “feel wrong” to wear it. I don’t know how to wrap it properly and it would feel (and look) like a costume. That’s appropriation to me. On the other hand, I made some friends when I went to Rwanda. We were told where to go buy fabric. We (my bff and I) bought it at one stall, didn’t haggle and each of us spent a couple of hundred usd. The woman was so grateful because it made a real difference in her life. We had a local seamstress make us skirts, paid her double her asking price. One of the friends I made, Jackie, also made me a skirt and sent it over via another friend. You bet I wear those skirts. I know the complete history of Dutch wax fabrics. The fabrics I bought had no special symbols or meaning to it. I bought it from a local woman. I had (some of it) sewn by local women. Wearing the skirts (also western design) brings me joy and is a wonderful reminder of the people I worked with and made friends with. But on the other hand? I would Not wear a headpiece made with that fabric. That is tied to the slave trade and would be painful for some African Americans. I grew up in Vancouver. We have a wonderfully large Asian population there. I have had menhndi several times because I had friends that loved to practice their skills and I was a willing subject. I have watched many a Bollywood movie. I love the food, learning about the different cultures and religions. I love the dancing and the mums fussing over their adult children. That is appreciation I think.

When I was getting married for the first time, I went to get my eyebrows threaded. The lady who did it (of South Asian descent) asked me if she could do a little henna on my hand. It was really lovely sharing of culture in that moment.

As an Arab go ahead Jamie, dress as Aladdin. The "original" story is set in China. Arabs aren't South Asian anyways.

I'm very white passing because I'm half Scottish, but I'm Mexican as well. It's very odd when I wear traditional hairstyles from either culture and people try to tell me I'm disrespecting other cultures. I understand they are trying to respect different cultures but I'm trying to respect my culture. This is a great topic, I'm glad you covered it!

St Paddys Day is celebrated more in the US more than it is in Ireland. They call themselves Irish because their great great great great grandfather was Irish... sorry 1/32s of Irish heritage doesn't make anyone Irish.. They go about saying oh i'm Irish how cool fidle de de lucky charms etc etc .......... yet they know absolutely nothing of the bloodshed throughout the Troubles. To me that kind of ignorance is appropriation..! Also we aren't all drunks!

I feel like this whole discussion of cultural appropriation is important, but it has also led to a lot of fear. Like growing up, my mom did henna for me and my friends for fun “temporary tattoos”, and that was fine. She even did it for some of her friends, who wanted to try it out. But now I’ve learned to do those henna designs myself, my friends who aren’t Indian are super apprehensive of how they will be perceived if they have those done. So yes, things like using the n-word, wearing a Native American headdress or burqa, is not a good idea and it’s good we talk about the real cultural meanings of things. But I think the shaming and that aspect of this discourse is more harmful than helpful. Totally agree with you on the character thing... I loved Cinderella, so there was a little brown girl running around as Cinderella for at least 3 Halloweens, and I don’t see anything different between that and a little white girl dressing up as Jasmine.

Answer to the question - yes as long as its with respect

Honestly when I was a child I remember one of the girls parents came in on career day and braided all the girls hair (whether they were black or not). They never stopped and told the white girls they couldn't get cornrows because of their skin, but wanted to share something that was closely tied to their childhoods as well. The only times I've been told I was doing something wrong and being "racist" (I am mixed with white and black) was by the people who wanted gatekeep their race. They outlasted black people who didn't fit the stereotype. Rather than looking at educating people on how they can be better or share the history behind it they want to gatekeep this culture that was built around oppression. So it definitely comes down to intent and everyone should do their part of educating themselves on a culture or concept before emulating a part of it, we also shouldn't focus on gatekeeping culture but sharing and educating about it.

Honestly I can understand why Jamie would be uncomfortable dressing as Aladdin. As someone with Arab family I wouldn’t even feel comfortable dressing in traditionally Arab clothing because I am white and was not brought up with any Arab culture (except some of the food which is great btw.) I do think that it might be more acceptable for a white partner of a person of color because they are more likely to be coming from a place of appreciation. But it also kind of depends on whether that person of color is from that culture as well. This is just such a tricky thing and there is so much context required. I think a pretty good rule of thumb would be to educate yourself on the clothing or style that you are wearing and make sure that it is not something sacred to that culture. If you can’t answer that basic question, don’t do it. Another example I’m thinking of is that it wouldn’t really be cool for a white girl or woman to dress as princess Tiana, would it? That would be taking representation away from the ONE black princess. Circling back to Aladdin, he is one of the only semi-positive representations of an Arab man in mainstream media that I can think of, and it is still very flawed representation let’s be clear. I’m not saying I have any answers though, this is very much my own 🧠 💨

I think it is very important to understand the meaning behind what you're wearing or displaying. I remember hearing about how the kimono was often given as a gift, so I think the culture is gifted willingly and shared with you by someone who understands it because they lived it and you the outsider of the culture understands the meaning and representation of the gift its ok to use it as it is intended. That being said things like hijabs, kippah and things that are integral representations of religion and things that are representative of specific of integral specific parts of history that we can only sympathize with but never empathize I don't believe in regular street wear are ok to wear by people outside of the culture. Your intent is part of it, but I think it is equally important to look at this as a give and take, if you are invited into it and learn it then its ok to embrace it, but if the majority of the culture wishes to keep it to themselves for reasons only they can say then you should respect the wishes of the people and their wishes. Its a question of respecting another culture and what it represents and seeing something cool and taking it for your own purposes instead of its intended use.

Is Jamie worried that people might think he's white washing Aladdin if he were to dress up as him? I don't think that is a cultural approiation issue more so then that.

I've found it's mostly white people that get annoyed at this issue. Every culture I've experienced has welcomed me with open arms, but perhaps I'm not appropriating. I find it such a difficult topic and I want to enjoy all the cultures of the world and learn the history and experience it all. I get worried that I'll be classed as appropriating. One of my favourite celebrations is Song Kran (Thai new year) and while I wouldn't celebrate it in the UK, I would love to go back and experience it all again.

Regarding Princess Jasmine or Pocahontas, I wouldn't personally dress as them as a white woman. However much I might love those films or learn about the cultures they relate to, I have so many other costume options that don't risk making others uncomfortable. I don't know what the right answer is, but I'd rather be too careful than not enough. Thanks for another thoughtful video Shaaba ❤️

As someone who has both British and Indian ancestry , that too with one side of my great great grandfather likely being a Churchill supporter ,and other side of my family hails from West Bengal , the very place where the infamous Bengal famine took place . Suffice to say that , if they were alive at my parents' wedding ,family gatherings would be uncomfortable to say the least . And my parents made sure I'm aware of both sides of my ancestry, and I'm fluent in English,Sanskrit , Hindi ,Bengali and am learning Greek from my girlfriend

I love you shabba!! Im half south asian (sri lankan) and i love hearing people talk about cultures. Also wheres my my-family-has-fed-me-rice-all-my-life-and-now-they-expect-me-be-skinny-but-like-what-we-eat-rice-and-curries-every-night-and-its-"rude"-to-not-eat-the-food squad?

I remember when I was younger, I went to [mainstream, high end store aimed at white people] with my friends, where we saw a lingerie "kimono". As a Japanese person, I found this deeply hurtful because it felt like that was trivialising my culture, but my white friends just couldn't understand why I was so upset.

I personally don't think much of it if I see someone wearing cornrows who isn't black (I'm black for context), I actually am more so flattered that they see the beauty and practicality in this style aswell;))). The exception would probably be if like see, I wore cornrows to school for the longest time and now if a white girl would've come with cornrows to school and everybody would've admired it like it was the most beautiful thing ever, the way my hairstyles had never been admired I would be quite irritated tbh. I don't know if that's just pettiness or that makes sense but yeah. I'd probably also be pissed if like a Kardashian or someone super super famous were to like post a photo with cornrows (I think kylie jenner did this) but like not have said anything about like black lives matter or so. Basically have not used their position of power to help the black community. I hope any of the above made sense and was understandable😜😜.

I agree that there is a difference between appreciation and appropriation. When I lived in South Korea, I participated in a class where a Korean woman taught me how to make traditional clothing. I am now living in Thailand and I paid a Thai company to dress me in traditional clothing. Both groups of people were totally fine with me making/wearing their traditional clothing. This was me showing appreciation. If I was to take the clothing and wear it to a Halloween party or just around, then it becomes appropriation. Just my opinion, please don’t come for me 🙂

"So please, come join in my confusion" That made watching the video worth it

Okay so another question about costumes: Where is the line for historical figures? For example Cleopatra. I'm Egyptian and have always felt a bit bothered by the cheesy costumes made for her as if she's just a character in a movie... but idk if it's fair to be upset

Since we’re talking about it, I’d say that when you called native Americans “red indians”, it could be rephrased to Native American, American Indian, or something like that. Those are just terms here in America that are better to use, calling a Native American red skinned is like saying someone who is East Asian is yellow. Use this at your own discretion, but I just didn’t know if you knew that since you’re not from America.

Hi shaaba loved the vid! I just had a quick thing. I think people from the culture prefer Native American rather than Red Indian. But loved the vid a lot :-)

I wore my first saree at a Mehndi yesterday. I think that cultural appreciation and making an effort to fit into the culture is important and I wish more people had the chance to do so. SE Asian people in the UK have been incredibly generous is sharing their culture. If a French cathedral, Mosque or Synagogue asks you to cover your head to visit, cover your head. I think the adage, when in Rome do as the Romans do is an appropriate heuristic.

I absolutely loved this video! Its refreshing to hear someone talking about something this important while not having reached an absolute conclution themselves. But then... Should we really reach conclutions on these kind of subjects? Maybe keeping these conversations active is a way of keeping us all aware of our intents...? Just a little brain fart of my own...

I absolutely disagree about the hijab. I'm christian and I wear a head scarf in church. No culture, no religion, no race, nobody can claim the act of wearing a scarf around your head. People literally wear headscarves because it's cold outside.

Never really thought about this before, finding it really interesting so far! Personally I believe if you use a cultural piece in the right context with good intentions, it's alright. (I feel like I'll be back in a few hours with a proper extended opinion, honestly-) Keep doing what you're doing, loving the videos! Take care x

I have had traditional & non traditional henna patterns on my body in various contexts. My mum had a lot of South Asian friends as I was growing up who loved doing little kids arms (children are just cute) and now I dye my hair regularly with henna. Once as a teenager I had some henna left over from dying my hair so I drew some cartoon characters on my arm with the dye - imo you have to be careful with the context of traditional designs but it's also a plain good dye and one can be a little less serious about it.

I love how henna looks and I think it is beautiful (I'm White British) and the other day I was googling whether me wearing henna (not traditional designs just like pretty patterns and flowers) would be cultural appropriation. I couldn't find an exact answers but did end up reading about the origins of henna which is so cool. I don't want to accidentally appropriate anyones culture so I thought it was best not to buy or wear henna but I would love any feedback from people who's culture includes henna/mehndi!!

As a french person, I love your introduction: bonjour to you too petit pois I guess it indeed depends on how you do it, it has to be respectful and while understanding fully the meaning behind the "appropriation/ appreciation"

that's EXACTLY what i was arguing about yesterday, and hearing my own thoughts coming from you makes me feel like i'm not that crazy after all haha

I can understand why people are upset about some things taken from culture. But many really go over the line. F.e: I am from Germany and like Japan and the culture. It is a country I really wanna live in. But I am still a German. But when I cooked ramen and posted it online bc I was so proud of it and it was really hard. And other people shitted about that. Mostly not even japanese or asians! But I refuse to only eat germans food... bc it would be really unhealthy xD and what do americans eat since they don't really have something that isn't from other cultures?

I think the main problem that blurs the line between both is that people don’t make space for the ones appreciating/appropriating culture to explain themselves, and by explaining I mean talking to them and actually seeing if they’re appreciating the culture or appropriating the culture I personally have a VERY different example (my culture is not very ignored or a huge minority but it is seen through SO MANY stereotypes outside of South America) I am Brazilian, and one of my best friend’s from Canada, and she was very into throwing a Brazilian dinner for her family during quarantine (to make a change a lil bit and introduce her family to the culture of one of her best friends) and she took the time with me to understand what every dish meant and how every tradition is constructed before organizing the dinner night, and that made my heart whole because she was actually spreading my culture from a genuine source Appropriation for me would be if she just searched a bunch of stuff and threw the dinner just cause, just to vary her dinner nights

Intent and perception is the cause of every argument ever; presume the best and work from there. Communication and respect is essential.

I think it is all about being respectful, considering the context and overall not trying to profit off it or claiming it as your own. Understanding why the culture does a certain thing, wears certain clothes/hairstyles/makeup/henna etc where and why...is very important. Like taking in consideration that you don't commit a cultural faux pas, cheapen something by wearing something casually when it is held in high regard or has religious or cultural significance attached to it, or try to alter something to fit into your own sensibilities and style when it is not yours to alter so. E.g. Most western cultures wear a white dress to a wedding. Would it be appropriate if someone showed up for a casual lunch in a full white wedding dress. It would be silly, isn't it? Or someone who isn't Christian and doesn't understand the significance of the cross just started using it willy-nilly, upside down or sideways because they just thought it looked neat? That would be kind of blasphemous and insensitive. Or if someone started selling hotdogs and making big bucks off of it and then claimed it as their "invention".... Not good, very uncool.

Interesting video. I liked the fact that you didn't claim to have all the answers. I struggle when people say someone in the 'majority' can't do something, as that judges the person. What about the traveller community or people of mixed race? Someone's heritage isn't always obvious. I think intent is an important factor, but also is the thing being debated is religious or culturally significant. If it just an everyday item of clothing or hairstyle (to them) I struggle to understand how or why someone could get offended. For instance 'pajamas', many people won't know the origin of the item or word, but as an everyday item should anyone be offended that they are widely appropriated.

I struggle with this a lot. My boyfriend is Indian (actually grew up in India and moved as a young adult) and I’m a white German. He gifted me a really beautiful Kurti which I love to wear, but I don’t want other people to think it’s okay to just wear it without any connection to it or knowledge about it. I’d like to wear more traditional Indian clothing because I know how happy it makes him and it looks so beautiful, but it also feels weird like I’m taking something that isn’t mine.

I think the only way Jamie dressing up as Aladdin would be offensive is if he decided to do brown face. As far as I've seen and experienced, people can dress up as any fictional character, so long as they're not mocking a culture (the way people do when they dress up like "random Mexican man") and also don't do something awful like painting their skin another colour. Intent definitely matters and I think that some things should never be taken by other cultures - such as war bonnets. You'd likely get disapproval for wearing cornrows because it IS a cultural thing for black people and people with kinky hair. Even though you're not white, I know quite a lot of people who get upset by other cultures wearing something that's so clearly coded as their own. I...hope that makes sense. I'm tired and a bit out of it. EDIT: When it comes to food and film stuff, I think that's just appreciation and partaking. The problem, from my understanding, comes from someone outside of that culture taking something that's clearly been taken from that culture and acting like a) it's their innovation, b) they're mocking the cultural item in question or c) they think they're owed it regardless of not knowing the context and history of it. When it comes to food and media, I think it's really beautiful to share those things.

I'm just half way through the video (I promise I'll resume as soon as I finish this comment) but when you mentioned your wedding I immediately remembered my sister's. My family is Spanish, and my brother-in-law is from New Delhi, he really values his religion, so when my sister and him got married our whole family went to India to their wedding, it was a beautiful traditional wedding. We wore saris, my sister got henna on her hands and feet and we spent a wonderful time with my wonderful brother-in-law and his lovely family. They all seemed very happy, we certainly were. I was a teenager at the time and that experience opened up my horizons greatly. We still keep the clothes at home, they remind us such an emotional experience. I think cultural exchange is key for a better, more accepting society.

This is such an interesting topic! As a child I met someone on an event who learned me how to do henna on my hand and how to make my own henna. I don't want any tattoos (too permanent) , so I still really enjoy making all kind of henna drawings on my body. Only recently, I became consciously aware that henna isn't something from my own culture and I wondered whether I was offending people by having henna tattoos on my body. It is sad that I wasn't aware of the origin of henna for so long and I even considered stopping doing it all together, but I didn't want to give up one of my favourite hobbies and one of the few things that makes my head calm down. But I would really love to know how I can still do this hobby, without offending anybody... My intention isn't to insult anyone, it is something I do purely for myself, because it makes me calm and happy... (Sorry for my English and wording of things, I'm Dutch, so it is not my first language)

I feel comfortable incorporating aspects of different cultures into my life if I’ve learned them through genuine cultural exchange, but not actively seeking out parts of other cultures that just “look cool”. For example, I’m white and English, my ex is Chinese, so I leaned a lot about his culture and some things he shared with me I still do such as using chopsticks when I eat Asian-style food. Food is a whole glorious world of cultural exchange too! I’ve been taught techniques from Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Welsh, Indian and Scottish cooking by friends and family. I think food is one of those things that people are usually really keen to share between cultures. My fiancé is Scottish so we’re going to include some Scottish traditions as well as English traditions in our wedding. Basically, cultural exchange is natural and organic when people share their knowledge and stories with mutual respect. One thing I’m not sure on is that I love writing haiku. I know the Japanese tradition of haiku and appreciate the beauty of it, it would just still feel icky if I were to profit from it because the tradition is not mine. But I wouldn’t have a problem with a Japanese poet writing sonnets 🤔

Hi Shaaba, I'm Irish and thank you for mentioning Saint Patrick's day. It does quite annoy me that we tend to be reduced to drinking, green and Leprechauns. Irish mythology is so much more exciting than Leprechauns. Banshees, fairies and so so many beautiful stories like the salmon of knowledge, the Fianna and Queen Maebh and so much more. Here's the thing I love meeting people who want to learn about my culture and my history. I know you said that you don't know it's history essentially it's celebrating when Saint Patrick banished snakes from Ireland. But there's another holiday that was appropriated and popularised by Americans that you actually mentioned... Halloween. Jack O Lanterns used to be made from turnips but when all of the irish emigrated to America because of the famine pumpkins were just more economical and easier to carve. The concept of trick or treating is entirely American, but that's what people think of when they think of Halloween they think "trick or treating" and pumpkins...but it's more like mash potatoes and kale and scary story telling competitions. I would love it if people brought back the traditional Halloween party with Bairín Breac where you find out what your future holds, snap apple and a game where you find a coin in flour using only your face...I can't remember the name of it. I would so friggin LOVE if Halloween started to be culturally appreciated again. I want everyone to celebrate it but I would love if we strayed from the American-centric way of doing it. That's just my two cents maybe I'm wrong idk. (Also Jack O Lanterns made from turnips are way scarier. Fact)

My take, as a white woman who has been wearing a bindi almost everyday for 15 years. Before I went to India, I would not have worn one. I appreciated Indian culture and fashion, but did not understand it. Had I worn it, it would have been as a costume. After I went to India (an experience I had looked forward to my whole life,) I decided to take on the practice of wearing a bindi as a daily practice. When asked I say, “It’s a reminder to see love in every moment, especially when I look in the mirror.” Wearing it is a transformative experience. It reminds me of my spiritual commitments, and helps me to take pause before responding. Can I do that without a sticker on my face? Sure. That said, it was a profound practice and choice to put it on, and when I speak with Indian people about it, they often remark that my relationship to it is more consistent with its origins, and I have had nearly 10 Indian women tell me that they did not really even know it’s purpose, that it was just a compulsory part of their experience. I know I get discriminated against for wearing it. I know people find it curious or weird or wonderful. I know my intentions and that it’s a practice that I will continue to choose for life. That said, I do have a different experience when I see other white women wear it, who have no idea what it is. I don’t shame them, I just share my experience, in the hopes that it will bring curiosity. I really understand that people have been castigated for wearing their cultural garb/hair and have experienced severe results, like loss of employment. I think that as we create cultures where the castigation is forbidden, that it will open up the opportunity for people who have previously been oppressed, to be extensively appreciated and exalted, as they should have always been. That’s my hope.

According my understanding of cultural appropriation, it is indeed stealing someone else's culture. Like recently, I came across some American website that described Indian clothing and jewellery as "Boho". And I think that is disrespectful and ignorant, it is stealing someone else's culture and rebranding it for your own benefit. According to me, that is cultural appropriation. Now, if they would have listed the same items as "Jhumka" (Indian earrings) and "Kurta" (a long Indian top) and then have described what it is, where it comes from and how it is traditionally worn, then that would have been respectful enough for me. It is people wearing something from my culture and thinking it's cool and trendy, having no idea that people in a culture have been doing this for centuries that upsets me. Also, it is fine to wear a character's outfit as a costume even if that character happens to be a different race as long as it is a fictional character that has not already be stereotyped and misrepresented. For example, wearing the costume of Pocahontas is inappropriate because she was an actual person and her story was nothing like that has been shown in the movie. You can still like the character in the movie and even like the movie on its own while knowing that it was an actual person who had her own struggle and a big company like Disney exploited her story for their benefit. I think I being a brown girl can wear Jasmine's costume because even though the Arab culture isn't mine, I think we brown people have so much common in our culture and among us that we consider ourselves part of a bigger group. But I know that Jasmine's outfit is created by ignorant men working in Disney. That is not how a princess would have ever dressed. And it is because of that wrong depiction that I think white people should not dress as princess Jasmine. You can surely get inspired by her outfit for an outfit you want to wear in your regular life, just don't dress as her. And also, dressing simply as an identity is plain offensive. No, you can't dress as a "gay man" or a "Native American person". Also, a brown girl dressed up as Super woman is not dressed as "Brown Super woman", she's dressed just as "Super woman". And a black man dressed as "Captain America is not dressed as" Black Captain America". An Asian boy dressed as Harry Potter is not dressed as "Asian Harry Potter".

I feel like where I would draw the line is where when people wear something inappropriately or that wearing said thing is reinforcing a stereotype.

This was a great video and made me think more about what the difference is between appropriation and appreciation. I love learning about cultures, but I'm scared to visit places and to not be seen as someone genuinely trying to learn new things as a white person. I hate offending people and I can rarely practice my Spanish with my cousins for fear of them being offended at my bad accent or when I mispronounce words. I don't want them to misunderstand, but I don't know how to get over this fear. It's blocking me from more experiences and things I have yet to do. So listening to someone else who is addressing and also confused helped me understand different angles. Sorry for the long comment, but I hope it added something. Thank you for your lovely content, Shaaba❤️

When I visited India a few years back (as a white American woman) I felt very encouraged to wear salwar kameez. When I wore Western clothes no one said anything negative or positive, but when I wore Indian dress I always received smiles and compliments from people I met. I had the impression that people viewed it as being respectful to dress in the local style, and it was certainly practical and beautiful! Similarly, in Japan, when my daughter wore her Yukata she got many approving looks and compliments from people we encountered. We were also encouraged to wear Japanese traditional costumes when we visited Edo Wonderland, a historical theme park (kind of like a permanent Renaissance Faire), and I felt that people would have been less happy with us if we had not chosen to do so. Also, when we visited an Onsen (Japanese hot spring spa) yukata were provided and guests were expected to wear them, even to dinner. We did not know this and came to dinner in our street clothes, and I felt like that made our host a little uncomfortable. In each case, wearing local clothes added immensely to the experience for me, and seemed to put my hosts at ease also.

Shaaba: There was only one Asian princess around, Princess Jasmine Mulan: Am I a joke to you? I know what she meant I just found this funny haha

I feel like cultural exchange is a great thing for everyone, it's nice to have your culture shared and have people experience different customs yknow? I feel like there are bad and offensive ways to engage with other people's culture but I don't get the argument that people of privilege shouldn't be able to experience and engage with other cultures, that feels like a massive step backwards. In conclusion, do what you like but be respectful, don't wear things that are earned, don't "dress up" as a culture, and other than that just be nice and keep doing what you like

I like your take about princess jasmine and about dressing as the character and not the race. I’ve never heard that idea before. I DO however want to point out, since you mentioned Pocahontas, that many Native American people say that no one should dress up as her. At least, the Disney version of her? Because that version is so different from the reality of her as a child being stolen from her tribe, forced to marry a stranger, dying of a disease her people had never dealt with before, and eventually being buried in England while her descendants beg for her body to be returned to the land she was from. I could go into it more, but yeah, not a costume

"It's not just fashion, it's not just an item of clothing". I think that was a really strong, concise way to explain it - that will stick with me.

I am a Irish henna artist and I’ve only started doing henna 1 1/2 years ago so I do always wear henna bc I’m always practicing. But I’ve had positive reactions from every south Asian or Arab person who’s seen my henna and honestly my friends from those cultures are my biggest supporters 💛

Yes, it was useful, thanks. And "just be a decent person" is a simple, very important idea.

This is such an interesting topic to discuss! I'm very white, and both of my parents are from European descent. However, my father was born in South Africa and lived there for most of his life. Me and my sisters were also born in South Africa, and our parents decided to give all of us traditional Xhosa second names. Thinking about it now, I'm not sure if this was a very culturally sensitive thing to do; despite living in South Africa, our family isn't Xhosa and those names are not really part of our culture. But every time we go to the airport and show our passports to black employees, we always get excited and happy responses. It's happened a number of times that a lady will excitedly call over her colleagues to show them our second names. I think that so many white people living here completely disregard african culture that it's probably amazing for them to see people who really appreciate it and even went so far as to give their children second names from their language. I guess these second names are a way for us to show that we appreciate the culture of the country we live in, despite not originally being from here. Maybe it's appropriation, but I've never seen anyone get mad about it, as it almost always seems to make people happy. That's why I decided to stick with a xhosa second name when I changed my name legally (I'm trans). Overall, yeah it's not always easy to draw the line between appropriation and appreciation. Personally, I think that context and intent are the most important deciding factors. We just have to make sure that we listen to people from marginalised communities and try to be respectful of their needs and desires.

Every single word of this. This is exactly what I have been thinking and can't come to a conclusion. My mum also used to put cornrows in my hair as a child for school camps because I had so much hair I didn't know how to do anything with it myself and that way I didn't need to worry about it. But now I feel almost guilty for this even though the only intention was to wrangle my hair.

another point that is interesting to make is that... if the commercialization/promotion of certain items/patterns/styles gives back to the original community and helps them grow/sustain/freely share their craft then it has a positive impact overall, be it monetary or anything of the sorts. Even more, if it's locally sourced (aka: produced in their intended place of importance or by people who partake in that culture but live elsewhere). But if one goes to H&M for example, and buys something with a culturally distinct or ""inspired"" piece of clothing without any potential positive repercussion to said communities, then that's an issue. And sure, we live in a world where practically policing that might be impossible, and nor should we have to, but I'm of the belief that in the same vein it was wrongly normalized to use people's cultures as costumes, we can normalize other, much more healthy and respectful costumes without impeding the beautiful sharing of traditions and cultural history. It will take time, but it's already very much set in place.

Tysm for making this, this was really insightful for me!

I'm glad your video came up in my suggested feed! Thank you for opening a nuanced conversation on the subject; oftentimes, this is portrayed in such a black and white context, the oversight of detail leaves me quite frustrated; I went to inner city, multicultural schools and loved learning about other cultures. One of my most exciting days in primary school was when the mother of one of my class friends brought back real sugar cane from Mauritius and we got to chomp and suck the sugar cane, amazing! A white girl in my class could count to 20 in Hindi by age 9 as she'd been to India so many times with her Dad and often used to come to school wearing tens of bangles, traditional Indian girls clothes and occasionally a bindi. I'm a henna artist, I have been for 19 years now. We use Pakistani henna (the colour is wonderful, and the product I use is organic) it opens conversations about culture- not necessarily for the kid who wants a heart or dinosaur temporary 'tattoo', but with older kids and adults. For example, in the UK we have the term 'hen party' which comes from an abbreviation of 'mehndi', where women get together with the bride before her wedding. (They use the terminology Bucks and Doe's in the U.S and I used to wonder why Stag and Hen didn't 'match' here in the UK!) (I also use the opportunity to educate people against black henna; this is NOT henna, but a highly dangerous chemical due that should NEVER be applied to the skin- be aware of this on holidays to places like Spain) This represents the rich, shared crossover of cultures of the UK and I LOVE the way that cultures are smooshed together here and can be shared and appreciated by all. Also, not just South Asia uses henna, it is also used by cultures in North African countries. I hear you on the hairstyling subject too; again, it's not just African American by tradition, it's where we (mostly) recognise these styles from. From my understanding, these are typical hairstyles from Southern Asia also- and many a person with textured hair may practically benefit from this type of hair care. Surprising to some, is that these hair styles- along with dreadlocks also dominated in Nordic and Celtic cultures (I, myself am of strong Celtic heratige) my Mum used to wear dreadlocks in the 90's. Also, I truly believe in 'appropriate appropriation' when in certain environments/situations; one would be likely to visit a Turkish village in typical baggy, long trousers with a head covering; cover my shoulders at a Catholic wedding; Simple coloured clothes to a Bhuddist funeral, for a few examples. You wouldn't rock up to a traditional Muslim wedding wearing low cut bodycon and no head covering... would you...? There is a sub culture in Japan where they really take on the Cicana culture, from dress to low rider cars and home decor, they are really immersed in it, which I found interesting. Anything appropriated to blatantly take the piss, or degrade a culture or group of people or belief systems is really, really disrespectful and not to be encouraged on any level, but the grey areas remain grey, and those shouting 'appropriation' may not themselves be fully educated on cutural crossover and they themselves may be making an instant judgement based on skin colour or hair texture and not be aware that IS the person's culture, or they have some heartfelt connection with the culture(s) in question. So, if someone is not being blatantly racist or disrespectful, people ought not be so quick to judge.

When I'm in South India each year, I wear mostly dhotis/lungis. No one bats an eyelash and if someone tells me something it's usually to compliment me on wearing the mundu appropriately in Tamil Nadu or having just the right off-white in Kerala...cultural appropriation seems to be mainly a concern of ethnic interactions/dynamics in the so-called "first world". And when you do it with obvious love and respect for the culture, it shows somehow. Yes, context is king, it's a very nuanced topic (but we know what internet discussions do with nuances lol). Which you beautifully conveyed in your video!

I agree with loads of what you've said here. And I love the exam analogy. Regarding the Halloween costumes I think, for example, dressing up as a "Native American" at Halloween, for example, implies all Native Americans are merely characters which is terrible because it trivialises a whole group of people and their culture but dressing up as Disney's Pocahontas is fine because she is a character and who wouldn't want to dress up as an awesome Disney princess who happens to be an Native American? I am not Native American, so it's not really my place to discuss that specicially, that's just the best example I could think off to explain my thoughts. I worry that by stopping people, particularly kids, from dressing up as characters they respect simply because they're a different colour, it will end up giving these kids the idea they can only look up to and respect the characters from their own background. Let the white kid who thinks Tiana's is awesome and determined dress up as her and teach them black people can be awesome too. Don't tell them to find a white princess because that's more appropriate. Also, as a mixed race child growing up with a love of fancy dress but absolutely no characters of the same ethnicity as me, I would have felt more comfortable dressing up as a character from a different background if I saw other kids doing it. And growing up in an entirely white neighbourhood, that could only have happened if white kids dressed up as Aladdin/Pocahontas/Mulan/etc. Regarding the cornrows, as a mixed white/black Caribbean woman, I think anyone should be able to wear them. They look good and they're practical. The problem with black people being discriminated against because of their hairstyles and a white person being lauded for the same style is a separate issue and one which needs dealing with. But if a black woman can straighten her hair but a white woman can't wear cornrows, that just perpetuates the idea that white is "normal" and something to aim for, while black is weird and different and something to be avoided. The same could be said about other aspects of cultures, for example clothing. Everyone can wear western clothes, but only minority groups are allowed to wear and appreciate their traditional outfits, not even others who respect the clothes and their history and make an effort to learn about them. It creates a "normal", accessible to everyone and an "other" which is only acknowledged by that minority group. I think a lot of discrimination comes from a lack of understanding of people's differences and surely encouraging others to appreciate and understand and respectfully share in everyone else's culture will result in more peace between people? Sorry, this video has provided the perfect platform to voice my opinions which have been bottled up for a long time. I'll stop now, I'm not sure this even makes sense any more. If I have caused any offence, it was entirely unintentional, but please let me know if I have, I am always trying to learn.

I feel like anyone can dress as any character, as long as they don’t cross the line (blackface.) A Caucasian person can dress as Jasmine, Tiana, Mulan, or Moana etc. but I think it becomes offensive when they change their skin tone; the costume and hairdo will get the point across well enough. As for people from minority groups dressing as Caucasian characters... I don’t think you can really appropriate unless it’s a specific culture? Like Celtic/Irish culture, German culture, etc? So dressing as Cinderella isn’t appropriating anything but maybe dressing in traditional German lederhosen might be? Idk...

It didn't help clarify anything but it's an important discussion and you've given us lots to think about, and discuss with others and the more people thinking about racism and cultural appropriation and the many other things you bring up, the more chance there is to create a world where people are at least aware and questioning what is okay and what isn't (even if we haven't figured out the answer yet).

Here's the thing with "Halloween Witches" and Wicca. Wicca has a shorter history than both the history of dressing up as ~spooky~ things on Halloween AND the popular depiction of the Halloween witch with pointy hat, striped stockings, etc. Wicca is a pretty young religion, having technically gotten started sometime in the early-mid 20th century and Wiccans draw *inspiration* from older pagan traditions based on what sources are available, but there's virtually no evidence of a direct line of practice between various pre-Christian European religions and modern Wicca. Heck, most of the sources that Wiccan practice draws from were written by Christian monks (Or Roman propagandists)! I've not seen ANY sort of big Wiccan outcry against Halloween witches, but I'd personally really take issue with one group of people who've taken the shiny bits from a culture that's not theirs being upset at another group of people taking bits from that culture when neither of them actually has any sort of claim to it in the first place other than "I am statistically likely to have descended from these people over 1000 years ago" and then claiming that it's the same thing as stealing culture from people who are alive and practicing their culture today. Like, the oldest ancestor of mine that my grandfather was able to find records of was some dude in 1500s England. That does not mean that I get to be offended if someone dresses up as a peasant butcher for Halloween. Just like it's not cool to say "Oh it's ok, I'm 1/64th Cherokee on my mom's side"

Can non-white people wear western clothes?

This was very insightful. I've come to the general conclusion that context really matters here. The main difference between appropriation and appreciation is harm. If it is harmful, it's appropriation and if it's not, it *could* be appreciation...but it also depends on context

Such a good conversation though, truly

I wanted to mention the issue of imitating accents. It's generally made me somewhat uncomfortable, but I have generally recognized that it's pretty harmless, or most people seem to think so anyway. Personally, I've been pretty ok with imitating other dialects of your own language, but not really like imitating how people who originally use(?) a different language pronounce your own. I'm trying to make this general, but I do only know about the context of English. I also think that on the whole it is worse the worse your imitation is, as that can seem more mocking. At least you better recognise how terrible it is and be poking fun at yourself, not who you're imitating. Anyway, someone once said to me (or actually I think I might have read it online) that imitating a French accent would be seen as fine, but imitating a Chinese accent would be seen as bad. This blew my mind. How? Why? They seen very equivalent to me. Imitating a foreign language speaker's pronunciation of your language. I also think it's somewhat about what you said - I've tried to imitate Amy from Doctor Who occasionally, but I don't think I'd like to try to do a generic Scottish accent. However, I also think that's because it would feel like feeding stereotypes to me, as there are more than one kind of Scottish accents. I would feel far more comfortable imitating an accent from a specific part of Scotland. I'm using Scottish accents as an example, but this really is all very hypothetical as I'm way too terrible at Scottish accents to even try. I wasn't quite so terrible with Amy as I was going off something specific - "Ooh, Doctor, you soniced her!". Her accent sounds far more distinctive there, when she's teasing The Doctor, so I found it easier to know where to start rather than subtle differences in pronunciation I couldn't put my finger on. (That quote is from the beginning of a two parter only a few episodes after she joined Doctor Who, by the way, and it was River she was referring to The Doctor sonicing.) I also wanted to say that it feels different as I'm imitating Amy's voice, which happens to be Scottish, rather than Scottish people in general. However, I do sometimes imitate a general Cockney accent (which I am pretty good at), so there's that too. I wonder if that's ok...

I cringed at "red indian". I don't know when last I heard someone use that term.

Thank you for talking this out; it's been on my mind a lot too, and it definitely makes more sense to me now. From the Irish perspective (that's the bulk of my heritage), yes, the "drunken" image and whole thing about corned beef and cabbage feels belittling honestly. St. Patrick's day is a religious day in Ireland and a day to celebrate community and heritage in the US (my country). That celebration is kind of akin to Pride (I'm also LGBT), because starting out in the US was really hard. My grandmother (100% Irish, but born in the US) was shocked by, and kind of disapproved of, my Irish pride, because she was brought up to hide that shameful bloodline. When my friends reduce Irish heritage and St. Patrick's day to booze and potatoes, I feel a little hurt, and try to gently correct them with jokes or serious conversations about the potato famine and pub culture in Ireland. I can imagine that pain would be twice or even ten times for some people, so I really try to appreciate and be sensitive to others as I explore their cultures. I love learning or adopting new perspectives or taking part in holy days, but I always want to do so respectfully and get to know the full meaning and context as best I can. As a Pagan, I'm also on the fence about witch costumes. If it's like the Wicked Witch of the West, cool. The generic witch though... I mean, all the pagans I know have a sense of humor about it, so we just kind of laugh at the stereotypes. When I think about it, technically it is reinforcing the stereotypes about witches being evil and all female, etc. But really, if we Pagans were gonna ask for respect, we'd want our whole holy day (Halloween = Samhain) back please, k thnx. Ultimately, we kinda get that Halloween is it's own thing I guess, and we don't take any of it seriously. It's just a cosplay day with candy. We either ignore it to focus on our religious day (the biggest holy day of the Pagan calendar arguably), or we take it lightly as we participate in parties or handing out candy.

I think Pocahontas is a little different than Jasmine or the other princesses because she was a real person whose story was much more painful than the Disney portrayal of it - I (as a white American) would feel comfortable dressing up as Jasmine, but not Pocahontas. Does this make any sense? Maybe I’m wrong, but those are my thoughts around it.

Thank you for such a thoughtful presentation of ideas on this. I am a white woman, and have owned and worn shalwar khameez. I bought the material in little India inToronto, and had it made for me by a South Asian seamstress. I did this, because I am a fan of Hindi films, and I have seen many South Asian women wear them both on and off screen. The shalwar khameez is a beautiful and elegant outfit, and really comfortable to wear, and I bought one because of that. I did it out of admiration; I am no trendsetter, so I am sure I did not make it cool by wearing one. I loved wearing it, but I also felt awkward in it, and only really wore it to a South Asian special event, and family parties, but for some reason I felt uncomfortable wearing it on the street, especially in a South Asian district. I was scared of the cultural appropriation thing, especially because my background is Scottish, and we all know how British rule was definitely not benevolent in India, to put it mildly. Having said that, no South Asian person made any comment that was anything other than genuinely kind and complimentary when I was wearing it. Anyone who was not comfortable with it, was polite and said nothing.

i born in Iraq, and it is one of the countries close to South Asia, and between them there is a long history, such as the story of Aladdin and Princess Jasmine. My grandmother always watched Indian dramas in the past, and her uncle was married to an Indian woman. I was growing up and learning Hindi without feeling because of the television and the environment now. I am mature and I have changed my religion to Hinduism. A while ago, after discovering myself, and now I live in the Indian Quarter in Paris, and I feel like im home, and by any chance I can go to India, I will go. , I know many and many things about the Indian culture and I love them so much and I am learning more every day, my features look like I am from northern India, but I still have British characteristics because they occupied Iraq just as they did with India, I have brown hair and not black and light skin little like wheat, I want to buy a sari from a store and start wearing the sari every day because it is a garment. Gods, will it be rude? Because I was born in a country from South Asia, but it does not count from South Asia. Will that bother people? 🤧

Hi Shaaba, white women and long time Bollywood fan here. Watching them for so long has given me a lot of pleasure, an appreciation and admiration for the varied cultures of India, and a smattering of Hindi. I love sharing film recommendations with others because I want them to appreciate and enjoy these wonderful films. I think that watching films from other cultures is a great way to expand your appreciation of other cultures, but still knowing that by doing so you're only getting a small window into them.

This is always such a hard topic to talk about, cause regardless of what you say, some people will find a way to get offended. Like, some of my best friends are Indian and Pakistani, and henna is a prominent thing in their cultures, so I have on a couple of occasions worn henna because they wanted to share that with me. I always thought that was awesome, and they and their families, being the people whose culture this was, did too. Meanwhile, I had other people, in my case mostly white people, call me racist or culturally insensitive because of this? I think some people are so scared of being dubbed racist that they will jump at the chance to call out someone else, even if all that other person is doing is appreciating the culture, and often because someone wanted to share their culture with them. I am not saying that cultural appropriation isn't a thing, cause it absolutely is, but I think people are so quick to yell wolf that it takes away from when it is actually happening. Cultural exchange is a beautiful thing, and no one will ever be able to convince me otherwise.

Sometimes I watch her videos with ought even reading the title just because I love her energy and vibe. I loved this video and found it so educational and its great that she is not afraid to talk about the hard topics and makes it fun and interesting. Great job🥰

The universal law... “Don’t be a dick” Also, try not to be afraid to learn.

We wear sari or rappers and henna in Africa too . It goes back to ancient times.

LBW (like before watching) club?

You mentioned Wicca and children dressing up as witches. Although I am not a witch, I have encountered the topic of oppression in the context of paganism a few times. After some research, I discovered that witchcraft in medieval times was deeply intertwined with femininity. For example, when looking at Roman architecture, you can notice curves and roundness, symbolic of womanhood, whereas gothic architecture was often pointy and phallic. The moon is also a very powerful symbol of nature and life, and is often used as a parallel to being a woman (Artemis was a great example of this). Paganism and, by extension, Wicca, was and is a very important symbol of female empowerment. In fact, the image of the "evil" witch with her potions to poison you, her dark magic, her sacrifices, her eerie cackle, etc. was an image that contributed to this hatred of witchcraft and womanhood. The Salem witch trials were pivotal in women's oppression and in reinforcing capitalism and Christianity. I am not the most educated on these topics, and there is much more information on this if anyone is interested. Oliver Thorne has a video on it, and this podcast is also very informative: ici.radio-canada.ca/premiere/emissions/recit/segments/entrevue/124234/sorcieres-inquisition-deesse-mere-chasse-bucher-salem (unfortunately, it is in French, but there are definitely more English resources out there, too). I don't know nor is it my place to say if dressing up as witches for Halloween is offensive, but I found this to be interesting to learn about, especially with the parallels that can be drawn with feminism.

Exactly! I get so pissed off every Halloween when people appropriate skull candy makeup. It's a culturally significant bit of design. In the same vein I especially love seeing cosplayers of colour doing any character. Many anime and game characters are white and, like you said, anyone of any skin can dress as a character and it be okay. It fits the context of loving a character, not dressing as their skin colour (i.e. white cosplayers should never black face just because a character is black. Sadly, it happens).