cultural appropriation
Cultural appropriation isn’t quirky, it’s deeply problematic
December 20, 2025By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer What is a culture? Various things: customs, food, language, and among many other significant aspects — clothing. Clothing visually represents its people and is shaped by the environment it’s crafted and worn in, in addition to resources and trade with other cultures. For these reasons, cultural clothing speaks to the rich histories of humans. Yet, these same cultural expressions are being taken and repurposed in ways that strip them of their origins. As a South Asian, I often think about the colourful dresses that are found throughout the subcontinent. From the Osariya variant of the…
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Non-Black minorities need to stop using the N-word
February 27, 2025By: Kamal Nagi, SFU Student Black contributions have helped shape much of contemporary pop culture. Instead of recognition, however, non-Black influencers continuously take credit for its introduction to the mainstream. True appreciation is not just consuming Black culture, but addressing…
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The phenomenon of fashion trends
May 30, 2024By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff Writer “We’re all born naked, and the rest is drag” — RuPaul What are fashion trends? From cultural appropriation to fast fashion, the phenomenon of fashion trends has always been widely disputed. The funny thing about…
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Musicians need to stop using Asian culture to add flair
March 13, 2019Written by: Encina Roh, SFU Student With her recent single, 7 Rings, Ariana Grande has recently joined Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, and many others when it comes to employing Asian aesthetics in their music. The use of chopsticks, cheongsams, and…
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Yoga belongs to India, so hands off
January 25, 2016[dropcap]A[/dropcap]t the University of Ottawa last November, a yoga class was cancelled due to concerns that it was culturally appropriated from India — a culture that “experienced oppression, cultural genocide and diasporas due to colonialism and western supremacy.” At first,…
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