Beaded Earrings and Cultural Appropriation
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Embracing Seed Bead Earrings: Celebrating Culture, Not Cultural Appropriation
Boho seed bead earrings have surged in popularity, captivating fashion enthusiasts with their vibrant colors and intricate designs. As these beautiful handcrafted earrings make their way into mainstream fashion, a pertinent question arises: Is wearing boho beaded earrings a form of cultural appropriation? I get asked this question many times and even have been accused of cultural appropriation myself! Let’s delve into why wearing these stunning works of art is a celebration of culture rather than cultural appropriation.
I grew up in Los Angeles, CA and went to inner city schools. Style was everything all throughout my school years like many American schools, were fashion is not only a way to express yourself but it’s also a social class symbol. My high school was predominantly Latino, Armenian, and Filipino with the majority being first-generation, working class kids, including myself. Our families didn’t have much so we had to get creative, and sharing styles from different cultures was a way to stay relevant and it was not resented.
The latino and the Armenian kids loved wearing corn rows, their bling bling, and monochrome jump suits that were very popular during the early 2000’s thanks to LL Cool J and 50 Cent. The girls wore corn rows too, with their Juicy jumpsuits, and big hoops, inspired by the one and only, JLO. Some preferred the hip-hop culture, while others liked the “preppy’ look. Keeping up with fashion is expensive, most of our parents couldn’t afford the rapid changes of fashion so most of our families shopped at Fashion District, AKA “callejones”, in downtown LA to get their children the latest trends. No matter what your socio economic background was, the LA kids from the east side to the west side, were victims of these trends.
A lot of counterfeit products are sold at the Fashion District. You can find Pradaa, Fucci, Versachi, Dulce & Gabana, etc. As an adolescent, our only priority was to look good, look “rich”, and most importantly, to be free to express ourselves. If somebody would’ve accused us of cultural appropriation back in 2010, I think my friends and I would’ve laughed, and maybe somebody would’ve gotten punched.
Let’s get one thing straight though, you might argue that the people selling counterfeit products are also stealing designs but it’s not the same. When you buy a Fucci bag from the callejones, you’re actually supporting someone from the very bottom of the socio economic group with no clout. There’s a big difference when a corporation like Gucci or Victoria's Secret, who are well known for their corporate greed and have colossal power to influence the masses, plagiarize designs and patterns from indigenous artisans, claim it their own, and sell a bag for $800. When you profit from another culture’s identity and art without giving any context to your audience or give it the necessary and well deserved homage, that’s what I consider cultural appropriation or more precisely, cultural theft. And to some degree, modern day colonization.
When people like you and I genuinely like to wear clothes, jewelry, or hairstyles from different cultures, listen to music from different parts of the world, and enjoy eating delicious food from places that some of us will probably never go, I truly believe is a beautiful act of interconnectedness. Because to me it only means one thing: in this globalized world, the fabrics of our lives are becoming more intertwined day by day.
This is 2024, not the middle ages, nobody has the right to shame us for expressing ourselves, to tell us what to wear, what to listen to, what to eat, and how to act. I am an independent designer, all my seed bead earrings are handcrafted by me and everything I do is with love and pride for my Mexican-American culture. When you do things with love, it shows and people notice. I’ve said it before and I'll say it again, I only make earrings for the brave women, whether you're black, white, green, pink, I don't care as long as you're a unapologetic woman who does what her heart desires. So wear my seed bead earrings if you dare.
Love Always,
Ale G.
2 comments
Thank you for your perspective and common sense. Considering the history of trade beads from all over the world and the importance they have played in economies on every continent, it is silly to claim that one culture has the right to express themselves with these materials. One of the most prized trade beads in Native American indigenous cultures have been the cobalt blue glass beads made in Russia, where these beads had been used to fashion intricate jewelry and adornment pieces for centuries before “new world” contact. Not to mention the Venician, Dutch, and West African trade beads brought to the Americas that influenced seed beads and allowed indigenous people to express themselves in their own lovely personal and cultural designs. I am grateful to be able to embrace the artistry and creativity of cultures from all corners of the world. Thank you for allowing open and honest dialogue about this important and many- faceted subject that should unite, rather than divide people.
YOU ARE AMAZINGKY TALENTED. SOMEWHERE ALONG TYE LINE, PEOPLE LOST THEIR ABILITY TO DIFFERENTIATE OPINION AND THEIR OWN THOUGHTS WITH FOLLOWING WHATEVER SOCIAL MEDIA TREND OR TOPIC THAT THE ‘BRAINWASHED MASSES’ WERE FEELING SENSITIVE ABOUT. I HAVE NATIVE AMERICAN RELATIVES AND FULL BLOODWD NATIVE FRIENDS AND NOT A SINGLR ONE HAS EVER EVER BEEN LESS CONCERNED WITH ‘Cultural appropriation’ than an old white man or woman with too much time on their hands…
Your blog is top tier, you’re gifted. Beautifully written and needed to be said. Thank you.