sometimes emulating and admiring others cultures can be taken too far and
therefore seen as disrespectful whether it was intended or not other cultures
are cool but there's a fine line between appreciation and appropriate I think
it's really a leftist agenda to divide us it's accused of demeaning its culture
Kim Kardashian is slammed for cultural appropriation *various news headlines about cultural appropriation*
*various news headlines about cultural appropriation* oh boy let's get into it
The issue of cultural appropriation has become a controversial topic that sees a huge
divide in opinions from around the world it's hard to have the discussion because
you're so afraid of somebody being offended or not even knowing how you
might offend somebody that's when it becomes a problem one culture that's no
exception to that is Japan there are many different types of traditional
clothing in Japan as the yukata hakama happi hiyoko uchikake fundoshi, nemaki and
Haori just to name a few but none of them have become as famous overseas as
the kimono kim kardashian announced her new shapewear line called kimono
oh no I I meant like actual kimono the kimono dates as far back in history as
794 yes that is an actual year as a garnment made of straight cuts of
fabric to suit a huge variety of bodies it was worn by every Japanese
person and it became an identifier to make it obvious who was Japanese and who
were foreigners you know in just in case we didn't stand out enough as it was in
the Meiji period they changed the name to kimono which literally just means
thing to wear but they also encourage people to wear more western style
clothing as well they did this for a number of reasons but the main reason
was how long it took to put on so it takes about 30 minutes or so to put
it on so let's get started the 30 minutes it took to put on I count
to ten individual pieces that went into the final work and everything had a
significant purpose
Now when I say that it's difficult to put on I literally mean
have a snack and some water before you get started and then when it's done good
luck with doing so much just putting on your socks because it is tight and now
comes the difficult part of filming the rest of the day whilst also dressing like
this makes it very hard for you to bend down and as if I don't get stared at enough
I'm gonna step out in a kimono excellent ready for the stares
so we have been such a huge culturally significant piece of clothing you'd
think that they'd want to keep it that way right well yes they do
kimono these days is basically only worn to special events and formal functions
and things like that but it's also worn for fun at things like festivals as
kind of like a way to experience and appreciate your own culture and just have
fun with it and as far as I can tell they want foreigners to do the same thing
now for some people the question posed in the title of this video is pretty
obvious but in the crazy world that we live in nowadays where people are trying
not to offend another person while they're trying not to get cancelled I
have seen the question pop up from a couple of foreigners recently saying
that they would like to come to Japan to try on a kimono but they don't want to
be a part of Culture Appropriation so what is cultural appropriation well to paraphrase Lindsey
Ellis the term itself is actually neutral it's defined as the adoption of
elements of one culture by members of another culture so yes technically me
wearing a kimono is a form of cultural appropriation but please don't spread
the word because that term has got a completely different meaning nowadays
this is literally racist I say no to inappropriate cultural appropriation if
you a white girl don't understand how wearing a native headdress is
inappropriate you need to read a book educate yourself bitch this this is not
cute or funny it's racist and culturally appropriate, CA is part of the cultural
homogenization and eventually extinction, Halloween is nearly here and picking a costume can
be tricky, this is disrespectful you can't walk around acting like it's a fashion statement
Aussie cultural appropriation and y'all still stan her okay this one literally
doesn't make any sense I don't know what is like culturally Australian about her
outfit unless it's the trousers? but maybe they're talking about the kangaroo I
don't know quite honestly the further I dive into this topic the more I realize
how complex it is there's a reason that no one can seem to agree on this topic
and that's because there's no way to simplify it this video could be an hour
long and we'd still have no definitive answer I do think though that there's a
lot to be said about the people involved the context and the intent behind it but
even then that's no formula for an agreeable answer so instead of trying
and failing to understand and explain what is okay and what isn't in terms of
cultural appropriation in the context of the world although feel free to discuss
that in the comments instead I'm just going to focus on this video's topic
what do Japanese people think about foreigners wearing kimono
I think it's really beautiful! you don't feel any kind of like like disrespect or anything like
that? no not at all by that I think it's a little bit complicated for foreigners
to wear the kimono they should have someone who knows how to put it on
So that they can wear it properly? yeah right right right So for non-Japanese people
trying Japanese culture it's really nice thing I love it but if they
kind of well you know wear it some different way I wanna let them know like well that's a bit different
Do you know anyone who doesn't like foreigners wearing Kimono?
to say that they also aren't some Japanese people whose opinions differ
from these however they would almost certainly be the exception not the rule
so far as I can tell from what I've learned from asking my friends and
things like that about issues that people may have with foreigners wearing
kimono is if they're wearing it incorrectly literally just like two
minutes ago I was setting up my camera
there and then a Japanese lady walked past and kind of kind of without even
asking she just came up behind me and said sumimasen, chotto naoshimasu ne
like I guess I may have like crushed a little bit when I was in the taxi
the taxi so do you feel as though the only time that people really care about
it is if it's worn incorrectly or one without enough care to kind of give
justice to the beautiful piece of significant clothing that it actually is
so both the times that have won the kimono and all of many many many times
that I've won yukata I've never never ever never ever ever ever have I ever
received any kind of negative remark not even so much as like a an unhappy face
looked in my direction and often Japanese people want to want to try and
get photos with me wearing it or something like that and I think that it
is because for Japanese people to wear kimono is to experience and appreciate
their culture and when they see a foreign are doing the same thing that's
what it is I can't speak for everybody's experiences like other people were any
kimonos and things like that but even for a lot of my foreign friends when
they've won kimono your cuffs or anything like that I've never even heard
of any of them receiving any kind of negative remarks from a Japanese person
for wearing it which is why the Karli Kloss kimono controversy shocked me when
I first heard about it Vogue magazine and supermodel Karlie Kloss is once
again under fire for a recent photo shoot gone wrong photos inside the mag
featured Karlie Kloss dressed as a Geisha aka a traditional Japanese entertainer
she wasn't dressed like a Geisha what who said that Karlie received so much
criticism for being a white woman cast in a Japanese theme spread that she was
forced to release an apology via Twitter so all of this backlash was for cultural
appropriation but unsurprisingly the people accusing her of it weren't
actually a part of the culture in question it's in this bag oh that's
white guilt right well we've all got a bit of that so what a Japanese people
have to say about it I'm Japanese but this doesn't make me angry if someone
asks if this is authentic Japan I would answer that it's not but I don't feel
any insult I'm Japanese but I think this is just odd work I don't know why it
matters this is beautiful next time why don't you try dressing as a Michael
ninja samurai or general almost all Japanese are pleased that foreigners are
involved in Japanese culture most Japanese people will just say it's not
discrimination please don't say sorry I like it it's beautiful thank you for
your interest in our culture these are beautiful it feels really cool thank you
for wearing it everyone's too sensitive about these things none of the people
criticizing her a Japanese so why do people that have nothing to do with it
criticize her where is the racism are you crazy I mean we could probably just
end the video right there to be honest. so I'm not making this video to speak on behalf of
anyone or any culture and especially not to just you know point my finger at
people that accuse cultural appropriation even when it's not that's
not at all what my intention is and I'm certainly not trying to oversimplify an
issue that is inherently complex I am making this video however for foreigners
that are coming to Japan and they really want to get involved in Japanese culture
and they want to try on a kimono maybe you go to a matsuri and a photo shoot
have fun with their friends that kind of thing it's okay no one is going to think
it'll of you for trying to experience and see Japanese culture I know that
this is actually quite a serious topic and a sensitive one for some people and
some minorities and I certainly can't speak for you while your experiences I
believe that me having lived in Japan for about five years and actively doing
my best to learn the language and about the culture and the traditions and the
people I truly believe that if Japan held on to their traditions and their
cultures and their and activist gatekeepers saying like no this is this
is just for Japanese people you don't get to experience this I really think
that if that was the attitude that I felt from the people when I came here I
won I wouldn't have felt as welcome as I do in this country and too I wouldn't
have learned as much as I have learned that's one of the wonderful parts about
being in this country is how open and warm and welcoming all of the people are
here and they really do love it when foreigners try to appreciate their
culture and want to learn more about it and I've really believed that that kind
of open attitude has helped me to come to know what it truly means to
appreciate a culture oh I'm sweating I know if it's because it's like a hut and
I've got ten layers on right now or if it's just because I gave my opinion for
once on my channel Oh imagine thank you so much for watching this video if you
liked it give it a thumbs up wanna see more subscribe I would love to hear what
your experiences are maybe not necessarily about you know foreigners in
Japan in kimono but you know the cultures or you know what it's like in
your country and that kind of thing it's a super interesting topic it's like
a really big conversation starter that I actually like really like having this
kind of conversation with people in person you know I'm such a crowd pleaser
that been said only that's the end of the video thanks for watching guys
Look at it, look at it! and the sleeves act as like a giant pocket it's amazing my phone is in here
So pretty! You know what, I feel like? I feel like kylo Ren in Star
Wars and he's just turns around like *BOOM* just like like thick as a
fridge. Haha that's how I feel like kylo Ren good job Hannah nice