Avoiding Cultural Appropriation with your Mermaid Costume

[AniaR]

I wrote a blog on this topic:
My latest blog: Using Your Own Culture for Your Mermaid Costume Inspiration. A look at how we can avoid appropriating others and looking back at our own history for awesome inspiration. Also, some background on mermaid myths around the world! http://rainamermaid.weebly.com/blog/using-your-own-culture-for-mermaid-costume-inspiration

[Mermaid Wesley]

*snaps for Raina*


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[Fifi Tigg]

This is a great blog and makes me want to research my background of German, Scottish and English background :)
Thank you Raina xx

[SeaGlass Siren]

Wow. I think this may be one of your best posts ever.

the thing with my culture is that we are actually a mix of different cultures which makes it more difficult :S
chinese and French and Portuguese I have no problems borrowing from, but we also have south East Asian, Thai, and Khmer influences as well and some might take that as cultural appropriation ... And recently with Korean media being so popular in Vietnam they've started adopting some newer ones (and right now I don't think Koreans have issues with it because they're like dominating everything)...

Basically im a huge hot pot. my blood background is Chinese and French, but I was 100% Vietnamese raised. Our language mixes Chinese, French, Vietnamese and Indian (something I've taken note of over time) and uses Portuguese alphabets . Our food is a combination of Chinese, French influenced, Vietnamese, and Thai, sometimes Malay and Cambodian.

[Merman Dan]

I would pipe in but do you know what they do with my tail's inspiration around here? ;)

How to Cook Red Drum (http://www.livestrong.com/article/466298-how-to-cook-red-drum/)
http://img.aws.livestrongcdn.com/ls-article-image-640/cme/cme_public_images/www_livestrong_com/photos.demandstudios.com/getty/article/223/214/465785783_XS.jpg

[Sabrina the Selkie]

Wow. Really cool post.

My issue is a lot like SeaGlass in that I'm such a mix.

Mexican and German primarily, but I'm some Irish, in CHICAGO. Which means I'm very culturally Irish. Hence the Selkie tag, although I'm backing away from that Mersona. In terms of blood relation I'm more German, but being born in New York didn't stop my mom from passing her Chicago-Irish influence. I'm also Native American - I was nearly named for my great grandmother, Leocathia. In which case Comanchee culture would have likely dominated my life. There's French. Scottish. English. A smidgen Jewish. A genetics test on my mom brought up some East Asian and North African, although it would totally be cultural appropriation if I used either; I wasn't raised with those cultures at all.

And then I spent my formative years on a heavily immigrant populated block in Manhattan. So. Basically, I'm a bit of everything, but not enough of any one thing to utilize it without that culture calling me out on appropriation.

Bit of a problem, really.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Yeah I'm not even including the fact I'm born Canadian because Canada is supposed to be a cultural hot pot of everyone especially in Toronto so.....

[Sabrina the Selkie]

Yup. Yup. Yup. Difficulties.

[SeaGlass Siren]

I think the best example of cultural appropriation versus appreciation is the recent Chinese New Year episode of fresh off the boat

[Sabrina the Selkie]

I will have to watch that.

[PearlieMae]

<---- Hawaiian/Filipino/Chinese/Porteguese/English/Irish.

And my kid is all that and Sicilian.

I'm still on the fence about appropriation issues. What do you do when, like so many of us, are part of many cultures? We both "fit in/pass for", and are often considered "outsiders".

[AniaR]

I have no answers. It is my understanding if you're part of it, you're good lol

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[PearlieMae]

Don't get me started on Hallowe'en (Samhain)! ;)

[Mermaid Saoirse]

My mother's grandparents came to America straight from Scotland, and my father has some Irish further back in his line. While my mom does have some German I wasn't raised much in it, unlike my Scottish heritage. That's why I ended up feeling more comfortable with my mersona having Celtic roots.

Great article, Raina! It was a good read :) I'm definitely going to show it to my pod members who are still building their mersonas. It's a great creativity boost.
(Same, Pearlie. Samhuinn is a whole other fish ahaha)

[HamptonsMermaid]

So glad to see this topic on here and it's becoming more prevalent in around the world. My boyfriend and his friend got kinda burned at Burning Man for appropriated costumes (interesting though that it was a woman dressed as a Clown who started lecturing them...). It just makes everything feel so much better and more personal when you're authentically representing YOUR unique individuality, and not doing anything that could harm someone else.

I'm mixed too, 1/2 Chinese, 1/4 German, 1/4 English, and I say more cultures the more fun! Most people actually ask me if I'm Native American or Hawaiian, but even through I love these cultures and I especially LOVE their fashion, it just feels right to be connecting with my personal roots. In the past I've dressed up as Pocahontas, a hula girl or an Egyptian goddess, but while these "costumes" are just for fun, I wouldn't want anyone to see my "fun" and have it take away from their fun. One thing I never do is wear store manufactured costumes...If I want a feather headdress, I want to make it myself so it's unique, not appropriated. I will however buy Native American feathers and jewelry directly from the Reservation near me, there's an annual PowWow and I love to directly support native artisans in their craft. That feels good.

But when I wear something that is unique to my roots, it's not a costume, its an extension of myself. It's about learning your culture and your ancestors and proudly representing the unique person (or merson) that is you! And I think it's also totally appropriate to incorporate some of the culture where you grew up in and where you live now. Many of the women in the Miss World/Universe pageants have different roots from the country they represent and that's just fine. It's a unique challenge to tie in all the applicable cultures that you connect with throughout your life.

Just last night I was brainstorming on creating my mersona and it was so fun to look into fashion inspiration from China (hint...Koi tails!). My middle name is "Meiping" which translates to "beautiful plum blossom" so my headdress is definitely getting some plum blossoms! I'm also incorporating elements from my first name Lauren (laurel leaves), even though I am not Greek it's my given name so there's my claim, plus I grew up on bedtime stories of the ancient greco/roman myths and legends. I'm also learning a lot about my different birthstones, numerology and astrological signs. There's so much detail to explore!

I think it also has to do with your specific training through life. For example if you have put the study in to become a blackbelt in Tai Kwon Do or Karate, you may want to use some inspiration from your training and it's culture because you now have personal ties to it. My boyfriend is a master of the West African djembe, and sometimes he gets questions about being a white guy (English/South African) performing African music, but he has studied for over 20 years and learned from African masters around the world, so that whenever an African hears him play they respect his talent and don't take offense. He wears this gorgeous African "mohawk" style hat that is reserved for only djembe masters, and it's really the only "headdress" he feels comfortable wearing to represent himself because he has studied diligently to earn the right to wear it. For me, I would feel comfortable using just a hint of hindu inspiration, as the study of yoga (and the ancient scriptures) is a big part of my personal spiritual path, plus I know that traditional yoga masters don't mind what culture or religion you're from, they think anyone can and should learn from their culture. I think a bindi is just fine, as from what I've researched most Hindus today consider them a fashion accessory anyway. If you want to get spiritual about it, the bindi is placed on the forehead after morning meditation as a way to remind yourself to stay focused on meditation throughout the day. Of course you can't see your own bindi, but when you see other's bindis you are reminded (so the more people who wear bindis the better!). I have a regular meditation practice so I could def use the reminder! I would say just don't wear a red bindi unless you are married or a black bindi unless you are widowed.

This whole mermaiding project is getting me to learn more about myself, my culture and even other cultures and that's awesome! I'll have to ask my grandparents about more details from our specific Chinese ancestry on my dad's side (we have a family tree book somewhere) and of the English and German roots on my mom's side, which I don't even know much about yet. When I'm closer to starting my tail project I'll post an in depth description of my mermaid's symbolism and roots.

p.s. Sorry about the novel but as you can see this stuff excites me! I'm got my degree in anthropology so all cultures fascinate me!

[SeaGlass Siren]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading that blurb. I wish I knew more about my background from grandparents but they're all gone to the skies :/ my parents doesn't know much either... Except that my dad is chiu chow Chinese, French, but born in Vietnam. Mom is Mandarin Chinese, and Vietnamese.

[HamptonsMermaid]

Thanks Seaglass,
You have a lot of beautiful cultures to work with and it's really fun to learn more about yourself in the process. Do you have any other aunts/uncles or distant cousins you might be able to ask for more info? If not just research what you can. What I've found is that as I go down the rabbit hole of symbolism I instantly know what connects to me and I want to learn more about that symbol or stone or flower or story. It's an intuitive thing and no one can truely tell you "that's not right" because only you know what's right for you. Avoiding appropriating is just about avoiding ignorance, and the only way to avoid ignorance is to educate yourself. If you can back up why you used a particular element with a story about how it connects with you and you've done your homework to understand and internalize the meaning behind it, that shouldn't upset anyone.

[SeaGlass Siren]

I actually do have plenty of cousins... But they're all in Vietnam :| and I only speak English, I know very limited Vietnamese so there's a huge language barrier.. On top of which we do not have a great relationship with my aunts and uncles....

[HamptonsMermaid]

Well good thing there's Google! And they might know enough English to point your research into the right direction. There's quite a lot you can learn from studying the history behind surnames. Sometimes it's nice to have an innocent excuse (simply learning about your family tree) to reconnect w the fam. Elders especially love a chance to pass on their history to the next generation, they're usually flattered by it. If you think trying to explain the mermaid part would be confusing just say you're working on an educational project.

[Mermaid Enhydrina]

Firstly, very cool article Raina!

Sort of off from appropriation. I have mixed feelings about using my 'heritage'. I'm an Anglo-Saxon mutt: English, Irish, German, French, and supposedly some Scottish and Welsh. Both sides of my family have been in America for a few generations with no real traditions pertaining to heritage. Nothing about these cultures speaks to me more than any other culture.
Idk, I'll have to do more research on Florida and see if that gives me any ideas.

[HamptonsMermaid]

I think this is why Americans in particular started appropriating... our culture is so blended and new compared to most other countries, we don't really have a very "rich" history to go off of, so we start borrowing from other exotic cultures. A few friends have direct Mayflower or colony affiliations, but a Puritan Pilgrim hat doesn't really speak to us today. With the religious restrictions fashion was kind of bland back in those days. When you think "American" you think star spangled red white and blue, but that's been reserved for just 4th of July celebrations, or simply represents the American government (which not very many Americans feel very represented by). This is why it's important to to hold onto our roots or we end up just one big homogenous "globalized" culture.

On the topic of Florida, at least there's some cool flamingo, dolphin, everglades and other tropical wildlife. You could get inspiration from the zebra patterned state butterfly or the orange blossom state flower. Looking to your native flora/fauna for inspiration is what mermaids are best at!

p.s. I think I'll add some dogwood flowers to my headdress, as I was raised in NC and the state flower is one thing I really liked growing up there. And since I live in NY the state shell is the Bay Scallop, I could even go out into the bay this summer and gather some of these myself to use!

[SeaGlass Siren]

That's interesting you mention that.... Huh. I wonder if it applies here..

[Mermaid Enora]

A very interesting article! My mersona draws more from where I'm located than what my culture is.
Enora is mostly a carribbean mermaid who ventures into the rivers and lakes of Texas. (I live in Texas)


On the other hand....I loved that Banshees got a small mention in the article!! I absolutely love banshee folklore and my ancestry has a lot of Celtic (and English, French, Scandinavian) so it fits right in!
Love it so much I just made a banshee costume!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BBd858syrrg/

Banshees are a component of celtic folklore that is often overlooked as not being very popular in comparison to fairies, leprechauns and such.

[Mermaid Alea]

I am a blend of a few things as well but my Native American ancestry is what speaks to me the most. A tribe sent us some old photographs of some Native Americans walking the Trail of Tears, and in one photo there was a Native American girl who looked just like me. My parents started crying because it was like seeing their own daughter walking the Trail of Tears. I kept that photo and I wonder if I am related to that girl and if she survived the Trail of Tears and what she was like.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Not sure if I identify with any of my backgrounds. I'm pretty white-washed :/ The French part maybe..... But I'm more Asian than white. And that seriously confuses me because of the white-washing....
Maybe I need to take a step back and figure things out...

[SeaGlass Siren]

Im seeing a bunch of really awesome stories here from mers who are so deeply connected with their roots and I'm here like "who am I? WHO AM I." It's like I'm not even connected to the family tree. That's how uprooted I am.

[Winged Mermaid]

Im seeing a bunch of really awesome stories here from mers who are so deeply connected with their roots and I'm here like "who am I? WHO AM I." It's like I'm not even connected to the family tree. That's how uprooted I am.

I hear that same sentiment a lot from friends who are first or second generation from migrated folks. Their extended family are still in those countries from which their parents came over from, but they feel they don't have a real connection there. Even if they wanted to talk to that family, they don't know the language. So you're not alone!

In the end it's like what HamptonsMermaid said- go with your gut. Go with what feels right :) I hope you find what you're looking for!

[SeaGlass Siren]

Thanks guys! I am hoping too.

[Winged Mermaid]

Great article, btw :) In mermaiding and other fantasy and "hippie" fashion circles it can be a problem sometimes. But also some people take cultural appropriation overboard. I'm sure they have good intentions, but it can be a bit much at times.
Like when someone posted a photo of Mermaid Bonnie's newborn daughter from a mermaid photo shoot (the photo in the post was just the baby, congratulating Bonnie). Bonnie likes to wear acrylic jewels on her forehead, and in some shoots she wears them across her whole forehead in a glue-on circlet fashion. Another person posted a photo of Bonnie with that design of jewels on that post, and said since there was a larger jewel in the middle of her forehead along with the rest of them, that it was cultural appropriation and talked shit on a photo of a her baby.
Raina and I had a back and forth with her. We said even if it was a bindi, which it's not, bindis are fashion accessories in India. Even after citing sources that bindis are now considered mostly fashion accessories BY that culture, and that even Hindus generally don't take offense, she still didn't want to listen.
I even quoted an article about a Hindu talking about how people saying wearing bindis is cultural appropriation is nonsense- becuase when I get angry I'm not always concise and the quote said it better than I could at the time. And the girl said since she was a "white Hindu" her opinion didn't matter. Apparently she had to be a POC and Hindu for her opinion to be "legit". Even though that woman lived in India (and married an Indian Hindu, although that's not exactly relevant other than to say she's not ignorant of customs and culture for sure). I can't even with some people.


SO, long point made short: Even if you aren't appropriating, or even have a connection with the culture you're piece is inspired by, there still may be overly zealous "social justice warriors" who will get on your case for it, as they think you're being ignorant. Just be prepared is all I'm saying! (Hope my point isn't too much of a bummer on this thread, I apologize if it's a bit of a downer in such a great conversation!)

[Lucinda]

An interesting take on an important subject. I avoid buying "Indian" costumes like the plague, but not just because of the issue of cultural appropriation. The kind of things you see in costume shops are most likely mass produced, probably somewhere in Asia. And the people who own and run the business are probably not Native American/First Nation either. In other words, by making and selling these cheap (and usually inaccurate "Indian" costumes) people are cashing in on somebody else's culture. Given that many Native/First Nation communities in the US and Canada are very poor (some even lacking proper access to drinking water or proper health care), it just adds a whole new dimension to an already insulting practice.

People from other cultures, if they have a genuine interest in Native American/First Nation culture, clothing, handcrafts etc. should instead familiarize themselves with these cultures, these communities and buy authentic stuff from them. If you want say a dreamcatcher for your house. Buy a dreamcatcher from a native person not a cheap mass-produced fake.


Just one detail about your text, Raina: The sirens of ancient Greek mythology were part human, part bird. They hanged out by the sea, and lured people to their deaths with their song. But they were not aquatic creatures as such. But Greek mythology has a plethora of water nymphs such as nereids, limnads (lake naiads) and other naiads. And then there were mermen called tritons (after the god Triton, also a merman).

http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Seirenes.html
http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Nereides.html
http://www.theoi.com/Nymphe/Naiades.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limnad
http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Tritones.html

[Echidna]

I have roots in vastly differing cultures (chinese, romanian and scandinavian to name a few), and I feel at home in many of them.
Partly because I lived there and am fluent in the language/scripts, partly because their mentality and folklore feels just right to me.

If any social justice warrior comes along and tries to tell me I'm appropriating when I'm wearing a classical dress of one of these cultures, I tell them to stuff it where the sun don't shine.

There are also cultures I don't have blood ties to, but still feel familiar with because of studies etc.
Ancient Egypt, for example.
Anyone trying to tell someone they are appropriating Ancient Egypt customs deserves to be shot to the moon instantly UNLESS they are directly descended from fellahs or Copts.

In fact, the majority of nowadays population in Egypt is a perfect example for unrightful, disrespectful cultural appropriation.
It's as if white US guys would sell native stuff for exorbitant prices while adamantly holding it's all theirs.

[Luna Dreamtide]

Im seeing a bunch of really awesome stories here from mers who are so deeply connected with their roots and I'm here like "who am I? WHO AM I." It's like I'm not even connected to the family tree. That's how uprooted I am.
I know exactly what that's like. :) I'm so interested in heritage but know almost nothing about my own...

[Saren]

I'm Puerto Rican, so my roots are not that hard to track; Spaniard, African, and Taino. Now what part of Africa or Spain I'm unsure and so is my family. As far back as we could trace all my family has always come from Puerto Rico, so thanks to Raina's article I'm looking into Taino/Boriquen lore. I already know things I want to incorporate from my island like parcha flowers. But it's sooooo interesting to read everyone heritage stories!

[SeaGlass Siren]

An interesting take on an important subject. I avoid buying "Indian" costumes like the plague, but not just because of the issue of cultural appropriation. The kind of things you see in costume shops are most likely mass produced, probably somewhere in Asia. And the people who own and run the business are probably not Native American/First Nation either. In other words, by making and selling these cheap (and usually inaccurate "Indian" costumes) people are cashing in on somebody else's culture. Given that many Native/First Nation communities in the US and Canada are very poor (some even lacking proper access to drinking water or proper health care), it just adds a whole new dimension to an already insulting practice.

People from other cultures, if they have a genuine interest in Native American/First Nation culture, clothing, handcrafts etc. should instead familiarize themselves with these cultures, these communities and buy authentic stuff from them. If you want say a dreamcatcher for your house. Buy a dreamcatcher from a native person not a cheap mass-produced fake.


Just one detail about your text, Raina: The sirens of ancient Greek mythology were part human, part bird. They hanged out by the sea, and lured people to their deaths with their song. But they were not aquatic creatures as such. But Greek mythology has a plethora of water nymphs such as nereids, limnads (lake naiads) and other naiads. And then there were mermen called tritons (after the god Triton, also a merman).

http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Seirenes.html
http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Nereides.html
http://www.theoi.com/Nymphe/Naiades.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limnad
http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Tritones.html
Agree with this. If you choose to buy dream catches and other native/First Nations/aboriginal items, definitely support them by going to buy from them.

there is a really great museum in Ontario here called the mcmicheal art gallery (showcases a lot of traditional and modern aboriginal artwork and works by the group of 7) and they sell a lot of items made by natives.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Also I stayed up a bit late last night and discovered through my mom that we have extended family that lives in the countryside (imagine a vast field of tall green grass, a pond by an old straw hut and a coconut tree, and water buffalo. ) apparently we have our own family farm.
Also we have native Vietnamese people who live up in the mountains (Da Lat) and they coexist with a city on top of the mountains (they call it the city above the clouds). They're benefitting a lot because it's a tourist destination. and its super cold that it's comparible to Canadian winter :0 but for some reason it's spring all year around because flowers. Flowers everywhere.

edit: apparently on my dad's side even though in english we call ourselves chiu chow, we're actually called teochow... (which suddenly explains why in vietnamese my mom calls my dad "teo"....) a quick google search tells me that Teochow people also refer to themselves as "Deung nang (唐人; Mandarin: Tangren), literally Tang Dynasty (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_Dynasty) people"... which now suddenly explains my last maiden name because it's "Duong"... Literally pronounced "Yuan"... and now i have to look up the tang dynasty...

[SeaGlass Siren]

RAINA I LOVE YOU THANKYOU FOR DOING THIS. I'M ON A MASSIVE HUNT FOR MY ROOTS.

[PearlieMae]

On another note...I like to think that merfolk don't concern themselves with the cultures of the split-tailed rock swimmers. We use and incorporate the curious things we find that get dropped into the sea, like magpies who collect shiny things.

:mermaid kiss:

[Sabrina the Selkie]

That's so exciting, SeaGlass! I'm so happy for you!!!! ♥

And I get what your saying, Pearlie! But who knows, cross cultural exchange happens, even if just from what found objects will be tossed in the water by various cultures.

[SeaGlass Siren]

WELL MY SEARCH ENDS HERE. only after researching the Tang dynasty ive discovered interesting things about how badass, rebellious, and liberal the women were... but then i remember how asian people changed their last names to suit the ruling emperors of that dynasty. (which is probably what my family did.)

Like im pretty sure im not related to Wu Zetian (the only female emporer of china and who i keep idolizing) and Princess pinyang who commanded her own all female army and help her dad seized power over but ANYWAY. like i HIGHLY DOUBT i am related to the badassery that are these women ;_;

but suddenly inspired. oh so very inspired.

[SeaGlass Siren]

like there's no way. no flipping way. yet i am internally flipping out that there might even be a slim possibility.

[Sabrina the Selkie]

*squeeeeeeeeeee*
*dance*

Go SeaGlass!

[SeaGlass Siren]

Another search of my family name (because i'm going crazy) now somehow says Duong is actually yang...
… so if I am teochow and I follow the people it means I’m a tang because they refer to themselves as Tang, but for some reason my last name is duong which is also yang.. which brings me to the yang clan who was ruling and part of the zhou dynasty.. which somehow brings me back to Wu..? which somehow means INBREEDING HAPPENED SOMEWHERE and that i am fucked but now means i know for a fact that i'm related to Wu Zetian..

:flips desk over: i give up.

[AniaR]

On another note...I like to think that merfolk don't concern themselves with the cultures of the split-tailed rock swimmers. We use and incorporate the curious things we find that get dropped into the sea, like magpies who collect shiny things.

:mermaid kiss:

I'd like to think that too but I do see people do things that have been highlighted as big nono's by even the most liberal. And with mermaids becoming ever prevalent in the press I am start to see some pushback. Really, it's not about being PC, but trying to be an inclusive community and not alienate members by taking who they are and turning it into a costume. Or taking symbols and using them without understanding the struggles that went behind them.

I think we have to think less with a "I'm not bothered by _____" and redirect more to seeing how even if it doesnt bother us, it could bother someone else.

I'm not here to tell people what's right or wrong, I think there's a lot to be learned and a lot to be gained by looking at our own culture :) So much wealth of information and creative ideas.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Literally so thankful you brought it up too. i'm finding a plethora of info.

[Mermaid Mystery]

Now I'm researching and so far I've found on my moms side Willie Nelson on my grandmas side and John Proctor on my grandfathers side

[SeaGlass Siren]

Now I'm researching and so far I've found on my moms side Willie Nelson on my grandmas side and John Proctor on my grandfathers side
.. you mean like the john proctor from the crucible???

[Sabrina the Selkie]

I can't think of another John Proctor. Congrats. Your many greats grand father was hanged as a witch!

[Mermaid Mystery]

yes, THE John Proctor. We just did the crucible in class last semester and I'm laughing about that. I've been meaning to take a trip to Salem for fun so now I have more reasons.

[Sabrina the Selkie]

Lol! Good for you!

[Sherielle]

My mother did my familys ancestry on both her and my father's side. I have a LOT of English/Irish roots, though both sides of the family have been in the states since the revolutionary war.

[SeaGlass Siren]

I can't think of another John Proctor. Congrats. Your many greats grand father was hanged as a witch!

Yeah.. Not to mention Abigail might be your many times great grandpas side chick >.>

[Mermaid Mystery]

I heard that the whole romancy Abigail affair was just made up, but I wasn't there so I have no way of knowing for sure.

[SeaGlass Siren]

the fact that there is a tiny possibility makes it all the more interesting :P

[Mermaid Clarity]

I'm so glad this thread exists. I find myself fretting pretty much constantly about who I might be offending if I add elements to certain costumes. Even most recently, I'm building a selkie tail that I'm actually trying to base around the California Sea Lion and so I thought it'd be cool to use nods to the indigenous people of coastal california. I haven't run into many problems so far but I'm also trying so hard not to pull anything that might have been religious or sacred in any way. Additionally, I look "ethnically ambiguous" so people tend to think I pass as a lot of different things. (I'm very simply 50% Laotian, 25% German and 25% Romanian- and that white half is jewish all the way back.)

I guess my biggest concern with appropriation is where does appropriation end and where does butthurt person start? I don't think there's any way to figure out the difference half the time. On top of that, ethnically, I have a right to wear germanic garb and cite it as part of my history but BOY does it look like weird cosplay. I don't identify as German, even though apparently my great grandmother, the woman I'm named for had family living there back from the first diaspora (around 3 BCE?) Maybe it's because I don't read as "white" but I feel like, if you're being respectful and not treading on something religious or OBVIOUSLY a no-no, can you do/wear the thing? And then if people tell you to stop, you apologize for offending and just stop?

Sorry, that got away from me.

[Mermaid Momo]

To me, cultural appropriation can happen even if you have some of that ethnic blood in your own. For example, I'm half native American (my mom is native) but I would never put any parts of Sioux culture into my mer costume or wear any Sioux garb. why? Because I wasn't raised in that culture and as such me putting it on without knowing the cultural significance and not identifying as that culture would be me appropriating it.

A lot of times the big deal with appropriation is that people take parts of a culture, whether religious or not, and when they take it they're praised for it while the original culture is stigmatized for doing something they own. It's like working real hard on a project for class, the teacher telling you it's crap, then another student copying it and the teacher hanging it up to show other students how it's supposed to be done. And a lot of appropriation does nothing but embrace stereotypes usually (looking at you people who like to wear "geisha" makeup and costumes )

[Mermaid Mystery]

When I think of this I just think there are parts of cultures that should be shared and celebrated and parts that shouldn't. BUT with the intermingling of cultures there needs to be a certain level of respect and knowledge. For example, in California we celebrate a lot of Mexican holidays, but it's absolutely inappopropriate to wear a fake mustache and sombrero and "act Mexican". Another example would be Native American culture. Not everyone in that culture can wear a war bonnet, and when some random person wears a war bonnet it's very disrespectful.

[Echidna]

On another note...I like to think that merfolk don't concern themselves with the cultures of the split-tailed rock swimmers. We use and incorporate the curious things we find that get dropped into the sea, like magpies who collect shiny things.

:mermaid kiss:

THIS.
If you're talking mermaids specifically (a non-human legendary entity), ideas of appropriation are...human.

@SeaGlass:
唐人 is a term that is widely used for anyone of chinese descent, especially abroad/overseas.
It does not mean you are related to anyone from the Tang Dynasty.

It's just that the Tang are regarded as the most glorious, most exemplifying time in Chinese history, thus Tang People is sort of a poetic way to say you're chinese.

"Chinatown" in Chinese is called "Tang Street" for the very same reason.

But by all means research the olden dynasties a bit.
It's super interesting.
Personally I think China was way better then than today :p

[SeaGlass Siren]

THIS.
If you're talking mermaids specifically (a non-human legendary entity), ideas of appropriation are...human.

@SeaGlass:
唐人 is a term that is widely used for anyone of chinese descent, especially abroad/overseas.
It does not mean you are related to anyone from the Tang Dynasty.

It's just that the Tang are regarded as the most glorious, most exemplifying time in Chinese history, thus Tang People is sort of a poetic way to say you're chinese.

"Chinatown" in Chinese is called "Tang Street" for the very same reason.

But by all means research the olden dynasties a bit.
It's super interesting.
Personally I think China was way better then than today :p

which is exactly why i backtracked and checked a second time :P different pathway, and i still ended up with wu.

[Sherielle]

Is it appropriation when you are playing a character?

[SeaGlass Siren]

^ i think so. example is black face or yellow face in cosplays. the reason why i havent gone as pocahontas (even though i've had native people tell me its ok and that it's just a character) is because i'd feel like i'd be disrespecting the nation as a whole because i'm not native :|

and at the same time...... people dont seem to have a problem cosplaying japanese characters. i wonder why :S

[Echidna]

which is exactly why i backtracked and checked a second time :P different pathway, and i still ended up with wu.

I'm not sure if it's possible to backtrack that far, especially with chinese naming customs (patriarchal line).
There are millions of Lis, but that doesn't mean they are all related somehow xD
Roughly 100 family names exist in China. That would make for some heavy inbreeding if they were all truly related by blood.

Also note that there are many different characters for the same-sounding name.
There are several family names that are pronounced Wu, 邬, 仵, and probably more I never learned how to write.
I have an ancestral line named Wu, but that doesn't mean I'm related to Wu Zetian, because that's not so much a name but a title, and the Wu in that title is not a family name.

(Better to drop out before the thread gets derailed, ha.)

[Sherielle]

^ i think so. example is black face or yellow face in cosplays. the reason why i havent gone as pocahontas (even though i've had native people tell me its ok and that it's just a character) is because i'd feel like i'd be disrespecting the nation as a whole because i'm not native :|

and at the same time...... people dont seem to have a problem cosplaying japanese characters. i wonder why :SI can understand that.

[Echidna]

and at the same time...... people dont seem to have a problem cosplaying japanese characters. i wonder why :S

Pocahontas was a real person.
Most japanese anime characters are entirely made up and often not even depicted as japanese by looks and name.

[Sherielle]

I work at a renaissance festival. Would the people who portray Spanish characters (spain, not mexico) be considered appropriating if they are not of that culture? In this situation, people are hired to play characters from other cultures such as spain, French, Moor and such. To be clear, no one is in black face or anything of that ilk.

[HamptonsMermaid]

For example, I'm half native American (my mom is native) but I would never put any parts of Sioux culture into my mer costume or wear any Sioux garb. why? Because I wasn't raised in that culture and as such me putting it on without knowing the cultural significance and not identifying as that culture would be me appropriating it.


Wow 50% is more than many. If you don't feel connected with the culture I think it would be a great excuse to learn more! The most indigenous cultures are the ones at highest risk of losing their crafts, stories and values, so when you do have a blood tie I think the culture would want you to feel included, learn more and keep the knowledge alive.

And even though the Native Americans are some of the most sensitive around cultural appropriation, I know they can also be very accepting when you show them authenticity. I go to Lakota Full Moon Sweat Lodge ceremonies run by a 100% white guy shaman. He is more Lakota at heart than many with 100% Lakota blood. He's been invited by tribes all over America to be part of important ceremonies because they can tell that he is not appropriating, he's more like a true convert to their religion and they welcome his authenticity. Another friend of mine who has zero connections or study of Native American culture was invited to a very traditional paote ceremony simply because he met some Native Americans at a gas station, politely asked if he could join and he was respectful of the rules they explained to him.

It seems to be just the completely ignorant ones who cause all the appropriation trouble. Most don't do it on purpose, they just don't realize that a war bonnet is a sacred object and would never be worn for something so trivial as Halloween.

[HamptonsMermaid]

I work at a renaissance festival. Would the people who portray Spanish characters (spain, not mexico) be considered appropriating if they are not of that culture? In this situation, people are hired to play characters from other cultures such as spain, French, Moor and such. To be clear, no one is in black face or anything of that ilk.

I think this is more like theater. Many actors play characters who are not their ethnic match. If they're representing certain sensitive negative stereotypes then that could be offensive, but an American putting on an exaggerated French accent is probably funny even to the French. If you get butthurt over every little joke it's you, not them.

This is why I love Family Guy, it makes fun of all cultures so no one can be more offended than the other.

[Mermaid Clarity]

I work at a renaissance festival. Would the people who portray Spanish characters (spain, not mexico) be considered appropriating if they are not of that culture? In this situation, people are hired to play characters from other cultures such as spain, French, Moor and such. To be clear, no one is in black face or anything of that ilk.

I worked the Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire in SoCal for 4 years, playing an Italian and 3 of those years playing a catholic Italian. (Also the group used to be Spanish and since then have changed for some reason.) I've also played been cast to play palestinian, native american and latina- none of these races I'm remotely related to. On the one hand, I have no "right" to play these because it might have taken the work away from a girl who actually was native american but on the other hand, like with faire- we do A LOT of research beforehand, portraying real people from the Italian court and learning as much as we can to be as accurate as possible. I think in that regard race has a little less to do with it- especially because we try to be respectful with things like accents because they can get "stereotypical" very quickly. I think this makes all the difference, though someone please correct me if they are offended. I spent hours recreating the dress, learning the history and the culture and even tried to make it less appropriation-ey by playing an italian jew my first year, though the character was scrapped later to play an actual person instead. I KNOW I'm not wearing a costume because it's fun and pretty, I know I'm not wearing a rosary (unblessed) because I think it's a pretty bracelet.

As for being paid to play roles that people think I look like rather than ethnically am? That's less cool. Generally if the character's race comes up in a show I'm in, it's because it's a location thing (think west-side story.) When acting was my only source of income, I was very willing to play whatever came my way and I got paid to do. Now that it's not, I'm less likely to take a role if I think it plays more to stereotype than a real person. In the end, I think it's up to an actor's discretion to decide if they got a role because they were the best actor or if it was because they "had the right look."

[SeaGlass Siren]

I'm not sure if it's possible to backtrack that far, especially with chinese naming customs (patriarchal line).
There are millions of Lis, but that doesn't mean they are all related somehow xD
Roughly 100 family names exist in China. That would make for some heavy inbreeding if they were all truly related by blood.

Also note that there are many different characters for the same-sounding name.
There are several family names that are pronounced Wu, 邬, 仵, and probably more I never learned how to write.
I have an ancestral line named Wu, but that doesn't mean I'm related to Wu Zetian, because that's not so much a name but a title, and the Wu in that title is not a family name.

(Better to drop out before the thread gets derailed, ha.)

(which kinda confirms my theory of inbreeding and name changing :P but i'm down to drop out. i did check a third time to see if i was actually crazy.
then i found this http://www.ancestry.ca/name-origin?surname=yang

i'll probably keep looking though a fourth fifth and sixth time to see if i really am crazy lol)

[SeaGlass Siren]

Pocahontas was a real person.
Most japanese anime characters are entirely made up and often not even depicted as japanese by looks and name.

yes i was more or less referring to the disney pocahontas.

[HamptonsMermaid]

i'll probably keep looking though a fourth fifth and sixth time to see if i really am crazy lol)

If you really want to get to the bottom of it you could try a 23&Me personalized genetic report. My mom got me one and I still have to send in the saliva sample, but will be really interesting to know where my exact DNA comes from. Who knows what surprises it might reveal? Yay science!

Chinese names can be quite difficult to trace as there are sooo many of us under the same name. My last name Chu is super common, so thankful my grandfather made a family tree book.

[SeaGlass Siren]

oh... i've been meaning to save up for 23&me :0 let me know how it goes.

my last name isnt very common.. unlike my mom's last name (le)

[AniaR]

If you really want to get to the bottom of it you could try a 23&Me personalized genetic report. My mom got me one and I still have to send in the saliva sample, but will be really interesting to know where my exact DNA comes from. Who knows what surprises it might reveal? Yay science!

Chinese names can be quite difficult to trace as there are sooo many of us under the same name. My last name Chu is super common, so thankful my grandfather made a family tree book.

I was just looking at doing one of those too!

[Echidna]

It's not just with chinese names where millions of people have the same surname but are entirely unrelated;
it happens everywhere.

As an example, take romanian:
most names end in -escu, which comes down to mean "son of".

So everyone who had a father named Mihai (very common name) would end up with a surname like Mihaiescu, and probably none of them were related.
In other countries, surnames were generated from professions, so every worker of a profession would have the same surname but none of them necessarily related.

Now add changing names, titles, and words all pronounced the same but written differently like in asian languages, and you have a giant tangle.
Think; Smith.

I'll shut up now.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Well back to square one ;-;

[AniaR]

I work at a renaissance festival. Would the people who portray Spanish characters (spain, not mexico) be considered appropriating if they are not of that culture? In this situation, people are hired to play characters from other cultures such as spain, French, Moor and such. To be clear, no one is in black face or anything of that ilk.

there's a lot of backlash in Hollywood for casting white actors to play the roles of other cultures. And I think if a white actor is portraying someone from Spain or Mexico in a stereotyped way or a way that makes fun of them, it's frowned upon. It's called "whitewashing"

A few links:
http://www.villainesse.com/culture/true-hollywood-story-whitewashing-appropriation-and-tokenism
http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/28915/1/white-actor-cast-as-asian-in-ab-fab

[AniaR]

To me, cultural appropriation can happen even if you have some of that ethnic blood in your own. For example, I'm half native American (my mom is native) but I would never put any parts of Sioux culture into my mer costume or wear any Sioux garb. why? Because I wasn't raised in that culture and as such me putting it on without knowing the cultural significance and not identifying as that culture would be me appropriating it.

A lot of times the big deal with appropriation is that people take parts of a culture, whether religious or not, and when they take it they're praised for it while the original culture is stigmatized for doing something they own. It's like working real hard on a project for class, the teacher telling you it's crap, then another student copying it and the teacher hanging it up to show other students how it's supposed to be done. And a lot of appropriation does nothing but embrace stereotypes usually (looking at you people who like to wear "geisha" makeup and costumes )


This ^

[SeaGlass Siren]

While I can see what momo is saying, I was raised to think that everyone should connect with their roots when they have the chance. Especially since being raised here everyone becomes white washed and we forget about our culture and where our blood came from. That's what makes you .

[HamptonsMermaid]

Whitewashing is especially easy for the younger kids to get sucked into. Kids reach that age where all they want is to fit in so they'll downplay their roots, avoid speaking their native tongue and just try to blend in and be normal. They try to detach from the culture and their weird foreign parents.

[Little_Orca]

This thread in part reminds me of a video that I found some time ago, but first some back story...

Over a year back, I decided I was going to try to learn Japanese. Personal goal, so I went for it. In the process of learning the language, I have learned about the culture so that I had a better understanding of words and phrases and why things are said the way they are and where new words and slang come from and beliefs and so on. I started to get a lot of negative attention from this. People were assuming I just liked anime (which I do) and that I didn't care at all about what I was learning. I even had people 'test' me to see if I knew what I was talking about. It felt that I was being punished for learning another language and about another culture.

Interestingly, none of this happened when I was learning Spanish or when I was a folklorico dancer for three years. All of the pale girls, Hispanic/Latina/or not, got called Gringa or other terms, but it was all water off a duck's back. Somehow, too, my in-laws from a previous marriage of my aunt's being Hispanic gave me street cred in the dance community (which is just BS). (Spoiler alter, I left that community in high school.)

Back to Japanese culture, sure there are things I see as unusual, but there are other things that I quite enjoy and have integrated into my own life. Simple things in terms of how I speak to people and things I had been doing similarly in my life anyways. Then I got the other labels... Otaku (meh, I'm ok with that one) and Weebo and Gaijin (which just means foreigner and is not meant in a derogatory way in Japan usually, but meh. It all depends on how it's used in the moment, hmm?). I really felt discouraged for a bit and stopped learning. After all, why try to learn new things if I was going to be harassed about it? Why? Because learning friggen rocks, man.

Part of why I like to learn about other cultures is I'm white. I'm so friggen white, and I have no culture I can look to and be like "That is me." I know where my heritage comes from: Italy and some other Euromutt-ness, but Italy is the primary one. There was no Italian upbringing for me, the blonde girl in Southern California in the 80s. With how chaotic my childhood was, I don't blame my mother for not looking into our own heritage: she has to focus on raising two children alone, but she always encouraged me to learn about others so that I could understand them.

When I don things upon my person (usually in my hair) that are representative of other cultures, I do so not out of "lol look at me guys, I'm Asian today! rofl!" that some people have accused me of, but because I like said ornament. Ironically, in terms of the Japanese things I have worn or own (like a randoseru backpack,) the women at the Asian market laugh and giggle and talk to me about my belongings. They share with me memories of their childhood back in Japan with similar items. We have a great cultural exchange! Yet... to others who just see a white girl wearing 'funny asian things' I am offensive.

This brings me to this video I found. I think it echos some of the things I have gone through trying to learn about cultures (though I've not put on a kimono) and its puts a good perspective on how different views can be on different things.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwoSYWIgV9Y

[Mermaid Lorelei]

This thread in part reminds me of a video that I found some time ago, but first some back story...

Over a year back, I decided I was going to try to learn Japanese. Personal goal, so I went for it. In the process of learning the language, I have learned about the culture so that I had a better understanding of words and phrases and why things are said the way they are and where new words and slang come from and beliefs and so on. I started to get a lot of negative attention from this. People were assuming I just liked anime (which I do) and that I didn't care at all about what I was learning. I even had people 'test' me to see if I knew what I was talking about. It felt that I was being punished for learning another language and about another culture.

Interestingly, none of this happened when I was learning Spanish or when I was a folklorico dancer for three years. All of the pale girls, Hispanic/Latina/or not, got called Gringa or other terms, but it was all water off a duck's back. Somehow, too, my in-laws from a previous marriage of my aunt's being Hispanic gave me street cred in the dance community (which is just BS). (Spoiler alter, I left that community in high school.)

Back to Japanese culture, sure there are things I see as unusual, but there are other things that I quite enjoy and have integrated into my own life. Simple things in terms of how I speak to people and things I had been doing similarly in my life anyways. Then I got the other labels... Otaku (meh, I'm ok with that one) and Weebo and Gaijin (which just means foreigner and is not meant in a derogatory way in Japan usually, but meh. It all depends on how it's used in the moment, hmm?). I really felt discouraged for a bit and stopped learning. After all, why try to learn new things if I was going to be harassed about it? Why? Because learning friggen rocks, man.

Part of why I like to learn about other cultures is I'm white. I'm so friggen white, and I have no culture I can look to and be like "That is me." I know where my heritage comes from: Italy and some other Euromutt-ness, but Italy is the primary one. There was no Italian upbringing for me, the blonde girl in Southern California in the 80s. With how chaotic my childhood was, I don't blame my mother for not looking into our own heritage: she has to focus on raising two children alone, but she always encouraged me to learn about others so that I could understand them.

When I don things upon my person (usually in my hair) that are representative of other cultures, I do so not out of "lol look at me guys, I'm Asian today! rofl!" that some people have accused me of, but because I like said ornament. Ironically, in terms of the Japanese things I have worn or own (like a randoseru backpack,) the women at the Asian market laugh and giggle and talk to me about my belongings. They share with me memories of their childhood back in Japan with similar items. We have a great cultural exchange! Yet... to others who just see a white girl wearing 'funny asian things' I am offensive.

This brings me to this video I found. I think it echos some of the things I have gone through trying to learn about cultures (though I've not put on a kimono) and its puts a good perspective on how different views can be on different things.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwoSYWIgV9Y

In line with your thread, I have had people take issue with me for wearing kimono, even though I know far more than they do about the process, the meaning, the parts, and the history of the art of kimono. They didn't care that I find the Japanese culture incredibly beautiful, and that I do my best to be respectful of every piece I wear or use. The most important moment for me came when an elderly Japanese woman who LIVED for the art of kimono told me how much it meant to her that I, who have no traced history in Japan, had such a love for the Japanese culture. In my personal opinion, I think the difference between appreciation and appropriation comes from intent and understanding.

[Sabrina the Selkie]

Agreed.

I am also semi conversational in Japanese, and the first time I wore a kimono, it was because my host mom put me in it. The one I own was a gift from my exchange student.

I mean, there's lots of people who take issue with me speaking Japanese, liking the culture, and being involved in my school's Japanese program. All of those people are white.

Incidentally: I didn't get really into anime until AFTER I had decided I would take Japanese in high school. I figured watching anime would give me a feel for fiction-culture and pronunciation.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Which brings me back to a previous post that I made. Another example of appreciation versus appropriation is the recent episode of Fresh Off the Boat.

if no one has seen it, it was a Chinese New Year episode.. They had a bunch of white people celebrate Chinese New Year but didn't have any Chinese people and they had a dragon mascot act as a "dragon dance", and white people getting Chinese character tattoos without knowing what they actually meant, and a white man who was born on a layaway in Thailand made up these random "traditions" like dropping the rat at midnight and wearing rat sunglasses. Great example of appropriation and ignorance.

by contrast in the same episode a bunch of the main casts friends (all white again) helped them celebrate the new year by doing their research and proactively asking what things meant because they wanted to learn more, and surprised them with a proper dragon dance, traditional decorations... That is appreciation.

[Sabrina the Selkie]

Truth!

[Mermaid Alea]

Which brings me back to a previous post that I made. Another example of appreciation versus appropriation is the recent episode of Fresh Off the Boat.

if no one has seen it, it was a Chinese New Year episode.. They had a bunch of white people celebrate Chinese New Year but didn't have any Chinese people and they had a dragon mascot act as a "dragon dance", and white people getting Chinese character tattoos without knowing what they actually meant, and a white man who was born on a layaway in Thailand made up these random "traditions" like dropping the rat at midnight and wearing rat sunglasses. Great example of appropriation and ignorance.

by contrast in the same episode a bunch of the main casts friends (all white again) helped them celebrate the new year by doing their research and proactively asking what things meant because they wanted to learn more, and surprised them with a proper dragon dance, traditional decorations... That is appreciation.

Great examples! :)

[Prince Calypso]

i'm really glad this thread exist and that Raina made a blog post about it.
now that being said, I think I'm one of the few mers of color who doesn't have as a big a problem towards Cultural Appropriation as I maybe should.
This isn't say that I don't think its an important issue, I do. I do believe that a person should try to find a way to showcase their individual culture through their mersona.

I'm basically a little bit of everything
creole, Haitian, french, native american, white and Romani
and I was raised in a good portion of the cultures that make up my family tree.
and it can be a bit confusing at times to try to not only incorporate that into my life but my Mersona as well and could easily be accused of cultural appropriation.

my only issue is when the idea of cultural appropriation is thrown around for every little thing, (not that i'm saying anyone here is doing that)
I mean people are so quick to tare someone down and treat them like shit for something I'm sure most times they didn't know they were even doing wrong and no, ignorance of something doesn't permit it, but I do think that instead of just yelling "That's Cultural Appropriation! you are a horrible person!",
the time should be taken to educate. If after that the person acts like they just don't give a shit then let them have it. Read they ass to filth honey.

which is why I feel post and threads like these are really epic and interesting because it allows people to discuss these thing openly without the crazies jumping and throwing the blame fish in people's face.
Raina wrote her article very well without condemning or pointing fingers, admitting that even she had made a few mistakes along the way and set out to educate as much as she could about the topic.

[Mermaid Momo]

In line with your thread, I have had people take issue with me for wearing kimono, even though I know far more than they do about the process, the meaning, the parts, and the history of the art of kimono. They didn't care that I find the Japanese culture incredibly beautiful, and that I do my best to be respectful of every piece I wear or use. The most important moment for me came when an elderly Japanese woman who LIVED for the art of kimono told me how much it meant to her that I, who have no traced history in Japan, had such a love for the Japanese culture. In my personal opinion, I think the difference between appreciation and appropriation comes from intent and understanding.


This! One year I went to a Japanese festival here in AZ, and I was standing in line to buy one of those giant shaved ices they have from one of the Japanese vendors and I was talking to this older woman in Japanese about my kimono (I had made it and she was interested in it and said she's been trying to convince her daughter to wear kimono and yukata) and after the woman got her shaved ice and left a white woman tapped me on the shoulder and told me I had no right to be speaking Japanese or wearing a kimono.... all while she was wearing a horrible cheap satin "kimono" it was actually a chinese dress though and then saying "baka" to her friend under her breath -__-

[Mermaid Mystery]

Momo, something tells me you encountered a weeb.

[Little_Orca]

I bet you rocked that kimono, Momo <3

Edit: I hope that I make it to Japan someday. I know there are places that will educate you, dress you, and let you wear the kimono for a day to see what it is like in their area and I want to do that. I need to speak better Japanese first. *Giggle*

[Mermaid Jaffa]

This! One year I went to a Japanese festival here in AZ, and I was standing in line to buy one of those giant shaved ices they have from one of the Japanese vendors and I was talking to this older woman in Japanese about my kimono (I had made it and she was interested in it and said she's been trying to convince her daughter to wear kimono and yukata) and after the woman got her shaved ice and left a white woman tapped me on the shoulder and told me I had no right to be speaking Japanese or wearing a kimono.... all while she was wearing a horrible cheap satin "kimono" it was actually a chinese dress though and then saying "baka" to her friend under her breath -__-
If it were me, I would've told her off in Japanese, including how her outfit was a Chinese dress, and that she wore it at the wrong celebration.

[HamptonsMermaid]

This is all awesome conversation! I'd love to hear more examples of how you mers have (or have plans to) represent your culture(s) in your mersonas? The great thing about this community is that we get to create our own personal mythologies, we can really be whoever we want to be! And of course we're learning that there's something very satisfying about being YOU and not someone else. What are some of your ideas to make your mersona unique? :)

I've looked into a fair bit of my Chinese side as mentioned in my previous post, but the caucasian part of me needs some attention as I know there must be more to it than just "white" haha. One thing I do know about my grandmother's side is that her grandmother lived in England and was one of the top artists at a china painting company (the teacup type of china that is...how ironic!). My grandmother says she knows this because she has an heirloom piece that her grandmother painted and it has details painted in real gold leaf, and apparently only the most advanced painters got to paint in gold. Yay artist roots! I'd love to see the heirloom piece and use some of my great great grandmother's gold leaf designs in my tail or top! I also just remembered that I have a little heirloom ring from that side of the family, gold and platinum with 4 teensy tiny diamonds in a somewhat celtic design that I'll have to look at and incorporate. It's not objectively valuable but apparently it was passed from eldest daughter to eldest daughter at her 16th birthday for I think something like 300 years! (The archeologist in me really wants to investigate!) It's so thin the band broke and I need to get it fixed but I used to never take it off. Cool so there's some things to look into on my grandmother's side. Really have no clue about my Grandfather's German history so time to start asking the elders! One thing about Grandpa tho is he's a true captain, has had sailboats all his life, so there's some mermaid possibilities for sure.

This is fun, it's like a personal treasure hunt! I like to take all the bits and pieces from my real life history and translate them into a sort of merfolklore about my mersona being a sea nymphy-goddessy-princess with an epic background tale. ;) I guess Disney and The Little Mermaid really get under your skin (scales!) in the end!

[Merenneito Nerissa]

I have pretty strong Scandinavian roots which I really like :) One thing that comes to mind which could be something I'd love to try but which I absolutely never would is to wear accessories or costume parts which have references to Sami people's costumes, I love those so much (google and check out if you haven't :) ). The costumes just are so strongly bond to their culture and it's really experienced insulting if other than original Sami people wear their traditional costumes. But keeping that thing in mind and avoiding too strong references to exact costumes I'm all the time going towards wearing jewelry and accessories which have references to Lapland and the arctic environment, for example jewelry made from pieces of reindeer antlers etc. :)

[SeaGlass Siren]

This! One year I went to a Japanese festival here in AZ, and I was standing in line to buy one of those giant shaved ices they have from one of the Japanese vendors and I was talking to this older woman in Japanese about my kimono (I had made it and she was interested in it and said she's been trying to convince her daughter to wear kimono and yukata) and after the woman got her shaved ice and left a white woman tapped me on the shoulder and told me I had no right to be speaking Japanese or wearing a kimono.... all while she was wearing a horrible cheap satin "kimono" it was actually a chinese dress though and then saying "baka" to her friend under her breath -__-

Oh man I would've told the bitch off... HNGHHH ignorant people.

[Saren]

I bet you rocked that kimono, Momo <3

Edit: I hope that I make it to Japan someday. I know there are places that will educate you, dress you, and let you wear the kimono for a day to see what it is like in their area and I want to do that. I need to speak better Japanese first. *Giggle*

They're many places that'll do that in Japan, I went to one by my house last year. It's a lot of fun and the women are really great.

The BEST places to do this though is in Kyoto. They have all kinds of kimono packages: one where you get a Photoshoot in a studio with kimono change and makeup, one where they dress you and you can walk around Kyoto and even visit temples in Kimono. There's so much more that they offer and it's really great.

In many countries I've been in they're so eager to share their culture with you. For instance in Egypt, I bought a scarf and the sales woman wanted to show me all the ways to wear it. She asked if I'd like to wear it out as a headscarf (I'm assuming she heard me say to another woman how lovely I found her hijab). I did and I only got complements. I feel if you show respect for a culture and eagerness to learn more about it, you can do no wrong.

[SeaGlass Siren]

It's the same in Vietnam too. The minute a foreigner (white, black, or even other Asians) takes interest in anything about the culture they're all over it and they're immediately welcomed into the community.

[AniaR]

I find Japanese culture really encourages people to participate. it's not that other cultures don't, it's that people were beaten, abused, mistreated, judged etc for things that we now appropriate in fashion etc.

However I find it kinda tacky personally when white models paint themselves up like a Geisha. I think that's a bit different. There's a lot that goes into being a geisha good or bad. I don't like the idea of "geisha" being a costume. I think the modelling world sometimes does exploit people's cultural hardships for click bait on a photo.

[Sabrina the Selkie]

Yeah. Geisha is definitely a line that shouldn't be crossed in Western fashion.

But Japanese people really like to teach others about their culture.

Mostly.

[SeaGlass Siren]

There was a recent picture on Facebook of a mer who had makeup for Chinese New Year. I think people mistook that for geisha makeup when it was actually Cantonese opera makeup and she was actually part chinese :P agreeing though that geisha makeup :edit: geisha anything on anyone is tacky.

[AniaR]

There was a recent picture on Facebook of a mer who had makeup for Chinese New Year. I think people mistook that for geisha makeup when it was actually Cantonese opera makeup and she was actually part chinese :P agreeing though that geisha makeup on anyone is tacky.

yeah i know what you're talking about and I hadnt actually even seen it til AFTER my blog. lol. I hadnt even had the person as a friend on FB so it wasnt me passive aggressively trying to shame them or anything. I was blissfully unaware lol

[SeaGlass Siren]

So it was just coincidence LOL! Ah I love the internet

[SeaGlass Siren]

Update: I have confirmed with a distant family member that I do have French blood in me.

[AptaMer]

I gave up worrying about what people think years ago.

What do you do when you look like a melanin-challenged Scottish pale person, but lived in Africa as a kid and speak snippets of an African language, still have and wear African clothes, and actually speak snippets of Gaelic, because that was my family's language before they migrated to Canada.

I have been asked why I'm wearing a maternity top when I've worn my northern shirts from west Africa before. In all fairness, they actually do look like maternity tops- but boy there's nothing that ventilates better and keeps you cool in the summer than those northern tops :sweat drop: (cool temperature-wise, definitely not appearance-wise LOL)

Don't have a kilt, though. They're supposed to be pretty cool in the summertime.

[SeaGlass Siren]

^ i'm almost certain it still counts because u were raised with it. Like how most canadian born children of different ethnicities were raised here. Thankfully we're a cultural hot pot of deliciousness.
reminds me of this recent episode of Fresh of the Boat where an obvious chinese boy was adopted by jewish people but he acts and speaks full jewish and completely forgot his chinese origin.

[MermaidCelesteFL]

You know, I didn't really think about cultural appropriation when designing my tail. I have no idea where my tribal print came from- it just looked awesome.

As for my personal background, I'm Polish-Austrian/Russian-Romanian. Very Jewish. Sadly, that's the only information I know, I lost A LOT of family and documents during the Holocaust. Nothing is known beyond my grandparents' generation.

Are there other ways of getting that information?

[Vrindavana Starfish]

Great article, Raina. I love when people reference their folklore. But, I have a degree in folklore and mythology so, there's that. ;)


...
I think it also has to do with your specific training through life. For example if you have put the study in to become a blackbelt in Tai Kwon Do or Karate, you may want to use some inspiration from your training and it's culture because you now have personal ties to it. My boyfriend is a master of the West African djembe, and sometimes he gets questions about being a white guy (English/South African) performing African music, but he has studied for over 20 years and learned from African masters around the world, so that whenever an African hears him play they respect his talent and don't take offense. He wears this gorgeous African "mohawk" style hat that is reserved for only djembe masters, and it's really the only "headdress" he feels comfortable wearing to represent himself because he has studied diligently to earn the right to wear it. For me, I would feel comfortable using just a hint of hindu inspiration, as the study of yoga (and the ancient scriptures) is a big part of my personal spiritual path, plus I know that traditional yoga masters don't mind what culture or religion you're from, they think anyone can and should learn from their culture. I think a bindi is just fine, as from what I've researched most Hindus today consider them a fashion accessory anyway. If you want to get spiritual about it, the bindi is placed on the forehead after morning meditation as a way to remind yourself to stay focused on meditation throughout the day. Of course you can't see your own bindi, but when you see other's bindis you are reminded (so the more people who wear bindis the better!). I have a regular meditation practice so I could def use the reminder! I would say just don't wear a red bindi unless you are married or a black bindi unless you are widowed.

...

These are excellent points that I agree with. My genetic heritage is Irish/Scottish/Welsh/French - basically a Celtic mutt, and I LOVE my celtic roots. But my spiritual path is a Vedic one, and I lived in India for a short time for the specific purpose of better understanding my path. I wear saris and bindis, and it is not outside of my personal culture even if it isn't my genetic one - these things represent ways in which I actually live my life. I also practice yoga and bhakti yoga. When I was in India, all I got was appreciation for wearing Indian dress, not any kind of cultural appropriation backlash. However, I do get that from white people on the rare occasions I would be seen in public wearing Indian clothing.

Btw, you're right about the bindi - both in its meaning as a reminder of meditation and also as fashion. And the red dot bindi is for married women, yes, but you can wear what matches your outfit.

I would feel more than comfortable drawing celtic and Indian influences into my mermaid persona. I mean, my name is the name of a village in India, so... But I would feel less comfortable bringing in Chinese or Japanese influences into my persona (specifically my persona - I will wear fashion inspired by these cultures but I always research to make sure I'm not being inappropriate when I do) because I don't feel these cultures are part of my persona, even if they're beautiful and I truly appreciate them.

[Vrindavana Starfish]

Also, how have I not seen this amazing thread before? That video about the Kimono was awesome, and pretty much reflects my experiences wearing saris. It's always been Americans (and white Americans, not Indian-Americans) who have taken offense.

So, when I visit Japan, I want to learn how to properly wear kimono :) Among many, many other things I want to learn about the culture while I'm there.

[Sabrina the Selkie]

Eh. Just make sure to keep the right side of the kimono out so you aren't wearing it like a corpse.

[SeaGlass Siren]

I wonder if I can make a fusion style hair piece borrowing from Chinese and French... Hm... They both like to wear their hair high in odd shapes.... (Tang Dynasty and rococo period)

[Mermaid Wesley]

I wonder if I can make a fusion style hair piece borrowing from Chinese and French... Hm... They both like to wear their hair high in odd shapes.... (Tang Dynasty and rococo period)

DO IT

[Mermaid Sirenia]

I'm half irish, and then also have a German and a bit of Native American in me😊 I'd love to do a shoot inspired by my heritage soon!

[AptaMer]

Speaking of French style, Atsuko Kudo, the famous London couture designer who makes all those latex dresses for the celebrities has come out with a world first- the latex beret! Perfect for fashionable French styling you could wear in the water

https://www.atsukokudo.com/images/mobile/Beret_RedLeopard_280.jpg
As you would expect for someone who sells dresses to the likes of Kim Kardashian & Rita Oro, though, the price (87 quid) is eye-wateringly high

https://www.atsukokudo.com/simple-shop/Beret_RedLeopard.html

[SeaGlass Siren]

3628936290

[Little Selkie Rill]

Cat amongst the pidgeons... or I guess... uh, Blue Whale amongst the Krill (???)...

What if you come from a culture whose entire cultural bag is, unfortunately, appropriating other cultures and "Anglicising" them via Empire building? "Britian" is all about building empires and taking the good stuff from other cultures then saying it belongs to them. Like, for example, a lot of people mention their cultural heritage is Scottish (including in Raina's article) and immediately say "tartan, kilts, bagpipes, etc.".... only, though those are now in fact synonymous with Scotland, and yes, we don't help matters when we tell tourists that we hunt haggis (which is a type of pig-bird-hybrid with one leg shorter than the other that runs around hills sideways and loves to eat fresh heather honey, fyi)... BUT, actually, none of those things are truly Scottish in origin; even our mythogical heritage is somewhat of a hodgepodge between Irish and Welsh Celtic, Anglo-Saxon English, Breton/Basque/French and Germanic/Norse, etc. (I think essentially Northern and West European?) The earliest archaeological evidence of bagpipes is actually Etruscan/Middle Eastern and they most likely migrated to the British Isles when the Byzantine/Greco or Roman Empires invaded our shores; or potentially via pre-historic trading routes, we will likely never really know. Kilts were only introduced in the 16th Century in some sort of fashion statement/propaganda move (and essentially all fashion is cultural appropriation and is cyclical in nature to boot) during one of our many wars with "The Auld Enemy" and then largely abandoned as "national dress" until the age of steam when Victorian nostalgia for a time of shortbread tin tartan was a big pull for a newly minted Scottish tourist industry (Visit Scotland tourist board, 19th C edition, haha); and are actually a Scandanavian/Norse tradition (though tbh, genetically speaking, most Scots are at least a couple percent Viking). So, what I'm asking is, how long does something have to be part of your culture's "Cultural Identity" before it's no-longer seen as appropriation?

I am too Celtic to function, btw, even my non-British Isles Scots-Irish-Welsh-Cornish/Devon(ish?) cultural background is mostly Celtic, Pictish (which is technically still largely indistinguishable from Celtic though) or Gaulish-Celt or Germanic-Norse (much of which crosses over with Celtic culture anyway due to trade, inter-marriage and invasion/raiding), though I do have some Anglo-Saxon and Belgian/Low-Countries blood in me several greats back on one side (my mum's family seems to have basically gone, Ireland-Scotland-Ireland-Scotland or Scotland-Ireland-Scotland and that's it as far as we can tell [though there's a chance there might be some Welsh in there as well on one side]... My dad's were slightly more adventurous, but not by very much: Ireland-Scotland & Wales-Cornwall-Devon-Scotland and Ireland-Scotland & France-Germany-Belgium/Low Countries-Scotland respectively; but due to the specific Scottish regions there's a high chance of Viking blood millenia ago). If you are at all European there's a high chance that due to population movement and migration (the side effect of which is cultural trade-off and sharing or adaption of stories/mythologies and traditions), you'll have at least a little bit of most European cultures other than the obvious ones from where you grew up somewhere up your family seaweed tree. The Byzantine, Etruscan and Greco-Roman Empire got around pretty much everywhere (except for most of Scotland) back in the day!

I guess also, what I want to ask (and a point a few other people have raised) is: is your cultural identity only your genetic identity (and how far back can you legitimately go to not be seen as appropriating from another culture)? Or is it only the national and social culture of the place(s) you have grown-up/lived in during your life (can you adopt cultural identities by being a citizen of a given country, or by marriage for example?)? Or is your cultural identity a combination of several factors?

Also... just gonna leave this here because it's interesting (to me anyway):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_history_of_Europe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_history_of_the_British_Isles

Culturally speaking, I am a pirate.

[AniaR]

it can be made really clear: if another culture tells you what you're doing is hurtful to them, listen and stop

[Talia]

there's a lot of backlash in Hollywood for casting white actors to play the roles of other cultures. And I think if a white actor is portraying someone from Spain or Mexico in a stereotyped way or a way that makes fun of them, it's frowned upon. It's called "whitewashing"

A few links:
http://www.villainesse.com/culture/true-hollywood-story-whitewashing-appropriation-and-tokenism
http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/28915/1/white-actor-cast-as-asian-in-ab-fab

As a Spanish (from Spain) woman, I would say that any white actor portraying a Spanish (from Spain) person is not whitewashing. Here in Spain 90% of the population is white; Caucasian, if you prefer, not Latin@. Of course, I cannot talk for Latin@ people.

The image of the Spanish as brown skinned, black or brown eyes and raven black hair is an stereotype. I read once that many Americans think of Spanish people as Romani regarding features, and that is quite incorrect.

Personally, I have blue eyes, I am blonde and have very white skin (I get burns easily), and I have been mistaken for American, English, and German in my own country while doing turism. And I was asked once if I was Russian while living in the US.

I find more insulting the fact that when I mentioned I was Spanish to an American, the only thing they could come up with is "paella", "sangria", "flamenco" and "bullfighting". Yeah, we have those. But we have quite more than that, you know. Also, I loath bullfighting. Some regions of our country are now prohibiting it, and I hope very soon the practice will be banned everywhere.

[AniaR]

I find more insulting the fact that when I mentioned I was Spanish to an American, the only thing they could come up with is "paella", "sangria", "flamenco" and "bullfighting". Yeah, we have those. But we have quite more than that, you know.

ugh yup. I think the point though is that it becomes a stereotype. I mean the fact those are the only ones mentioned = stereotyping right there.

I know in Canada it's really stereotyped. We don't have a huge populace here, and in Western Canada there's a lot more racism toward immigrants

[MermaidNerenia]

Has anyone here actually had their DNA done by a company like Ancestry or something? A lot of people in here seem to know exactly what percentages they are of specific cultures and I would love to know the same. Is there a specific service that anyone can recommend, I didn't know if someone had had a positive experience with one company or a negative with another.

I don't ever claim to be anything because I have no proof of anything. I have been told there is Irish and Native American in my blood somewhere but I am at a complete loss as to where it came from or how much. My family is no help on this subject because they will say things but have no proof. I would love to know my actual results, if I go through with the testing I would be more than happy to share here just for funzies. I'm sure I will get tossed a wrench and find out we're actually Italian or some such thing.

[AniaR]

I have been curious about doing one of those DNA tests too because they look at your health too!

I'm pretty dang Irish. I am first born Canadian. LOL my family still have their accents hahah

[Vrindavana Starfish]

I have been curious about doing one of those DNA tests too because they look at your health too!

I'm pretty dang Irish. I am first born Canadian. LOL my family still have their accents hahah

What part of Ireland? I just came back from 3 weeks in Cork/Kerry/Clare/Aran Islands and now all we want to do is move there. Actually, it is now our plan - not just a dream - to move there.

My mom, who is one of those people who will say something is true if she wants it to be true or if she thinks it's what someone wants to hear, has told me all my life that the Irish in my family was from Ulster. There's a castle in North Ireland I've always been obsessed with. When I was talking about the Aran Islands for this trip, and how excited I was, she was like, "Oh yeah! Our family is from the Aran Islands. That's where we came from." ...really mom? Really? Because there's like 1400 people total on the islands so if that's where we were from, I'm pretty sure we'd really know it. But suddenly, it's not Ulster anymore, but Inish Mór. lol.

We're totally not from the Aran Islands, btw, more likely Connemara area according to my preliminary research. Also, I'm mostly Scottish, and Scots-Irish. But I identify so much more strongly with any Irish heritage I may have than anything else.

On the stereotypes of Spanish people, my best friends and adopted family when I was a kid were Cuban. Andrea had blue eyes and blond hair, so did one of her brothers, and my best friend had dark hair, light skin, and blue eyes. The only thing that could give them away as being stereotypically "latin" is that they were proud of their heritage and would wear Cuban flags on their clothes.

[Winged Mermaid]

I was thinking recently of doing one of those DNA tests as well- since my Paternal Grandfather was adopted, we can't really trace the family tree that way. Would love to know more about where my ancestors came from!

[AniaR]

Ballycastle Ireland.

I have never been. but my nanny (aptly named, Angela aka Annie) I have her ashes and I'd like to take some of them back there. She always wanted to go back for a visit but never got to.

[Vrindavana Starfish]

Ballycastle Ireland.

I have never been. but my nanny (aptly named, Angela aka Annie) I have her ashes and I'd like to take some of them back there. She always wanted to go back for a visit but never got to.

Wow what a great place. I hope you get to go.

[Mermaid Sirenia]

Has anyone here actually had their DNA done by a company like Ancestry or something? A lot of people in here seem to know exactly what percentages they are of specific cultures and I would love to know the same. Is there a specific service that anyone can recommend, I didn't know if someone had had a positive experience with one company or a negative with another.

I don't ever claim to be anything because I have no proof of anything. I have been told there is Irish and Native American in my blood somewhere but I am at a complete loss as to where it came from or how much. My family is no help on this subject because they will say things but have no proof. I would love to know my actual results, if I go through with the testing I would be more than happy to share here just for funzies. I'm sure I will get tossed a wrench and find out we're actually Italian or some such thing.
I'm actually getting it done! Ancestry does a spit one, so I'm looking forward to see my results!

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk

[Lucinda]

39011

Other people think its so cool to be native, but when actual native people are protesting the construction of an oil pipeline that threatens their water supply and ancestral, sacred lands then where's the show of solidarity from people of other ethnic groups?

Image from; https://www.facebook.com/N8vBeauties/?fref=nf

[Mermaid Miradis]

I would like to do this too, but I don't want a scam test. I wonder what can give us the certainty that a specific company is not just inventing stuff?

[Vrindavana Starfish]

I would like a DNA test just for curiosity. But even if it confirmed that my great grandfather was Huron Indian, I still wouldn't feel comfortable claiming to BE a Native American, because I have no connection to that part of my ancestry. I can only say I have Native ancestry, but I know nothing of the ways of my tribe except what I read on wikipedia. Still, it would be an interesting thing to find out. I have a suspicion my parents had no idea what their actual history was, and picked things that sounded cool to them.

[Spindrift]

There was a recent picture on Facebook of a mer who had makeup for Chinese New Year. I think people mistook that for geisha makeup when it was actually Cantonese opera makeup and she was actually part chinese :P agreeing though that geisha makeup :edit: geisha anything on anyone is tacky.

Wait, was this me or someone else? :x Although in the pic i posted the makeup is hardly noticeable since it was on so lightly.
39029

[AniaR]

I think it was Canadian Mermaid Marie... When i shared this blog she left me quite the comment. I think she thought I was passive agressivly trying to attack her. The truth was, I had not even seen her photo. I just rarely get fanpages showing up in my news feed. My blog was entierly inspired by stuff we have been talking about on mernetwork.

[MermaidAphrolila]

I wrote a blog on this topic:
My latest blog: Using Your Own Culture for Your Mermaid Costume Inspiration. A look at how we can avoid appropriating others and looking back at our own history for awesome inspiration. Also, some background on mermaid myths around the world! http://rainamermaid.weebly.com/blog/using-your-own-culture-for-mermaid-costume-inspiration


Hey Raina! I really want to read your blog post, but it's giving me a dead link :'( </3.

Either way, I just wanted to commend you for writing about this and bringing up such an important topic!

PS. I'm from Pakistan (citizenship wise; though I was born in this tiny Americanized compound owned by an oil company in Saudi Arabia from birth until about 11 years old), my ancestry is from India, and I grew up all over the world so I never really know how to respond to "where are you from?" without feeling like I'm lying to myself, and them, without word vomiting like I'm doing now xD.

[AniaR]

hmm im not sure why the link isnt working, I'll look into it

[AniaR]

oh it's because I bought a domain. This should work: https://www.mermaidraina.com/blog/using-your-own-culture-for-mermaid-costume-inspiration

[inanna]

in reference to the photo collage, johnny depp actually worked very closely with the comanche, who felt he did a good job of honoring them and was not stereotypical nor disrespectful. i heard he was spiritually adopted, but i don't know if it's true.

i was unable to go to standing rock, but i did spread awareness and hoped people could go to help.


me, personally, i am mixed. on my mother's side i have basque/spainiard/native/german/scottish blood, and on my father's side i have white/mexican blood, with rumors of native though i am not sure.

i was raised with spanish speaking relatives so i mostly identified with the hispanic culture, but i also celebrated the jewish holidays, wore my clan's tartan, and played in tipis with my native corn dolls. admittedly as an adult i have been left a little confused. i didn't do the sword dances, but i have been very proud of my scottish heritage. my family never spoke much about our native blood, but i found an interview with my late great-great-aunt who told a story of our native ancestor who had dealings with the conquistadors.

i am slowly learning my native culture, from the legends to the traditions and everything inbetween. i am teaching myself the language, with the help of a dictionary that has audio clips for pronunciation. i wear my hair in the traditional chongo, and i would like to obtain some traditional clothes. i am interested in the blanket weaving, but i don't have a loom. there is also the silver smithing, but i don't have the skills for that.

in regards to appropriation, i feel wearing the tartan of my scottish clan is me expressing myself, same with wearing the native styles of dress. i would love to integrate little bits of things into my mersona, but nothing major since it would go against my personality.

[xaccer2]

морд (http://audiobookkeeper.ru/book/1398)

[xaccer2]

366 (http://cottagenet.ru/plan/186)

[xaccer2]

ШÐ*ИФ (http://eyesvision.ru/lectures/51)