The annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival happened this April, featuring various musical performances and art installations. It hosted many famous performers with Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and Karol G headlining this year. However, it’s also a center of controversy regarding the fashion worn by festival attendees, which can be appropriated from cultures the wearers don’t understand.
This trend of using other cultures as “exotic” festival fashion is harmful. However, there has been a recent shift towards genuine cultural appreciation, and it is very important that this change continues.
Coachella fashion often leans into the boho aesthetic. Boho is short for bohemian, and the style is based on romanticized stereotypes of the Romani people. However, this origin is rarely recognized by festival attendees, who mostly see it as the standard Coachella fashion.
The cultural appropriation that drives mainstream fashion trends brings double standards. Where white people are often praised for being trendy in their appropriated fashion, those whose culture is being appropriated are not always treated the same.
Cultural appreciation has improved in recent years with the increase in awareness of this issue; many within marginalized communities are actively making efforts to reclaim appropriated elements of their culture.
However, there’s still a lot of progress to be made, and fashion inspired by cultural appropriation, especially boho fashion, continues to be praised without recognition of its origins.
It’s also important to remember that ignorance is a big factor in fueling cultural appropriation at festivals like Coachella and in popular fashion. Many people aren’t aware of the origins of these fashion trends. This doesn’t entirely excuse cultural appropriation, as individuals still have a responsibility to make sure they aren’t being offensive, but it means that discussions around the issue should focus on raising awareness and holding people accountable without assuming worst intentions.
It’s possible to participate in other cultures in a respectful and valuable way; the key is understanding and intent. There has been lot of improvement recently. As culture writer Dillon Johnson wrote in a 2018 Teen Vogue op-ed, “If you spend a few minutes scrolling the #Coachella2017 vs. #Coachella2018 hashtags on Instagram, you can see, visibly, that culturally-appropriative looks are fewer and further between.”
Coachella this year saw South Asian performers and designers deliberately showcasing outfits inspired by their cultures as part of a movement to reclaim what was appropriated. Lara Raj of the girl group KATSEYE wore a bindi and bangles to honor her South Asian heritage.
Visibility like this is incredibly important to marginalized communities, who deserve to see themselves authentically represented.
Recent years have seen a welcome shift towards cultural appreciation. Ultimately, cultural exchange will remain a part of our society, what’s important is that no one is being mocked or exploited. It should be an exchange where everyone benefits, rather than one group taking from another for profit. Hopefully, this progress will continue in coming years.