Selena Gomez, Iggy Azalea, and Cultural Appropriation

Selena Gomez caught some minor flak about wearing a bindi during her performance at the Billboard Awards. Look at it, or don't:

I've talked to people about the song in general, which peaked at #6 on the charts, and their attitude is summed up pretty well by this Jus Reign vine.  I had a similar conversation with some friends about Iggy Azalea's "Bounce" video. Look at it, or don't:

Her inherent defense is that she's not doing anything already done here or here. What's troubling is that she's using the colors, the dress, and most obviously the people as a cultural costume to be worn and discarded like any other trend.

Here was Selena Gomez's defense to the mild criticism she faced for donning a bindi (from here):

 “The song kind of has that almost Hindu feel, that tribal feel. I kind of wanted to translate that. Plus, I’ve been learning a lot about my seven chakras and bindis and stuff. I’ve learned a lot about the culture, and I think it’s beautiful. I think it’s fun to incorporate that into the performance."

Look past the cringeworthy conflation of "Hindu" and "tribal" and you can see that the same attitude is at play.  This image is available and I can sell it, so let me rock my seven chakras for a minute.

The central lesson from this is that none of us really care.  In fact, with Priyanka Chopra and Pitbull peddling a case study in Orientalism that's racking up 5 million+ views, we're looking more and more like co-conspirators.  The most realistic conclusion is that after this wave of interest in the exotic ends, another will come, and the same people will make the same noises and go on with their lives. Maybe it's a fact of life - after all, Jay Z issued Miley Cyrus a twerking license.

PS: It's not all bad - check out Jai Paul's incredible instrumental, Str8 Outta Mumbai.

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