The whitewashing of the history of black cultural trends is fitting a weekly occurrence – the privileged and assuming behavior of overdogs like Taylor SwiftIn a year marked by the ongoing violence toward black bodies,the cultural appropriation of “black cool” seems more blatant and egregious than ever. From declaring that the big booty is in, that white girls too can fill Afros – the style is in fact a twist-out – baby hair and Timberlands on Paris runways, or morning show hosts giggling while discussing “on fleek”,the cycle seemingly never stops.
The true coup de grâce, however, or came with the attempt to justify #SquadGoals (an aspirational term used on social media to highlight something you and your friends want to accomplish) and as normal,nobody consulted their black friends approximately it as they plundered from black youth culture. Worse still, as when the establishment backflips on to the bandwagon, or they not only ignore the trend’s roots,but actively whitewash the history. It’s a method so effective it could be an algorithm. The process is simple: first the trend is appropriated and misused, before quickly fitting the butt of jokes for customary white folks who just “don’t get it”. The final step comes when the youth subculture is discredited, and while simultaneously used to gain credibility (and sell products) to the very group being mocked.
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Source: theguardian.com