Dear morons who classify certain types of clothes as “ethnic”
Will you pleases cut that shit out?
Do you even know what “ethnic” means? What? Is the socially constructed white race so celestially above and beyond having some sort of ethnic origin that anything that seems foreign to you can be perceived as “ethnic”? Adding large streaks of painted blades of grass and bamboo-like plastic rings doesn’t make it “ethnic”. Sarouel or harem pants are not “ethnic”.
Fuck, if I see a plain white T-shirt, I’ll call that “ethnic” since it’s foreign to my ancestry.
And don’t call a person “ethnic” because they are seemingly not all white.
***Many of you might recognize this rant from our forum (for those of you who are not yet members but are interested in joining, let me know) but I am re-posting the rant here because I’m seeing the misuse of the word more than ever with the rise of sarouel pants and maxi dresses with “ethnic” prints
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Hahaha agreed!
Yup I totally agree with you lol
Ahh I’ve been neglecting the forum. Am I forgiven?! Or banished to the deepest depths of hell?! *puppy dog eyes*
If it’s any consolation, my laptop crashed on me last nite. Now I’m all shitless on the house comp. Which has nothing of MINE at all! LOL!
White shirt = wife beater… is that ethnic?
I’m seriously in LOVE with you.
You know how to make a point girlie!
It’s just like how people place buddhas in their gardens and call it “Zen”
When will white culture learn that *other* cultures are NOT commodities for them to exploit??????
STUPIDITY!
PS. What is this forum you talk about?
Hahaha, “ethnic” and “exotic”! My behind! I’ve been neglecting the forum, oh no!
http://www.makeupforprofessionalasianwomen.com/2009/06/definition-of-my-ethnicity.html
Check this out!
You need a damn chat box so I can randomly come in and spam your ass with my ramblings!
Blueberry smoothies huh? I like those Yoplait Smoothie packs from Costco! Just add milk & blend!
ugh, seriously!! i’v ebeen noticing it too. preach on, sista! (was that expression kinda… ethnic? HA jk
)
also, i totally jsut went on a posting rampage on the forum.. i can’t sleep and i dont wanna deal with the characters at the other forum
I see your point… but I’m going to play devil’s advocate here.
From a linguistic point of view, the term ‘ethnic’ is used to describe something that denotes or derives from or is distinctive of the ways of living built up by a group of people. Put into a social context, something that is only particular to a group within a larger community is thus considered ‘ethnic’. This is why it makes sense that in the US, anything that is not of the majority, or ‘white’ if you like, is therefore labelled under the umbrella term ‘ethnic’. In the same vein, what is considered ethnic in the US may be the norm in another social context, and therefore ‘not ethnic’. For example, the Korean hanbok may be described as ‘ethnic clothing’ in the west, but it’s just clothes in the context of Korea; Chinese food can be labelled as ethnic food outside of the Chinese culture, whereas within, it’s just food.
I see in fashion a lot of Indian and African-inspired prints. I’m sure that when these clothing items are sold in India or Africa etc., they are not tagged as ethnic. But being tagged as such outside India/Africa/etc. does make sense. I don’t have an axe to grind about that.
From what I understand, ethnicity is more about origin and not so much about distinct foreignness. Any person of any background, whether Anglo-Saxon descent or South Korean, has an ethnicity. You’re probably more of an expert in word usage than I am, but your definition seems to pertain more to the term ‘ethnic minority’.
While I really should be finishing my paper…
I too am going to play a sort of devil’s advocate. I don’t find the use of the term ethnic offensive, but lazy. I when something actually is ethnic (by which I mean it originates or is inspired by a non-majority group), it needs to be acknowledged as such to avoid it being appropriated and claimed by the majority group or any other group. As of yet, we have not found a way to live without labels; we need them. So, for me, ethnic is more of a lazy label than an offensive label. It is a catch-all category consumeristic cultures use to promote things quickly and easily without actually considering the significance of what they are promoting. Something that I consider to be ethnic to the use (albeit it a very negative thing) is the use of the n-word. In my travels in Spanish-speaking countries who have been exposed to this word through rap and such things, I have encountered non-native American English speakers who will use this word with absolutely no comprehension of what exactly it entails. And even here, among non-native English speakers trying to become accustomed to idioms and such, I have encountered the casual use of the word.
That is sort of a convoluted example, but I think the real problem with the fascination of ethnic things is the lack of motivation to try and understand what it might mean to the originating culture. Like the use of Chinese characters without knowing what they mean. Or the use of sacred objects or symbols in pop culture without knowing the significance of their use in whatever culture they came from.
So, I guess what I’m saying is the problem with the term ethnic is that it allows us to remain ignorant while at the same time giving us a sense of open-mindedness.
Okay, back to the paper. Talk to you later!
I guess you could call that being a devil’s advocate…
… if I were the devil.
Huh. I’m white and I have a hard time with other cultures being “ethnic” and my culture is…blank paper that other cultures can add color to? Ick.
There’s something to be said for the lack of having an ethnic identity and how it makes me feel like a person made of meaningless marshmallow.
Btw, harem pants make even the models look bad. So they are not ethnic, they are just ugly.
LOL I was contemplating getting a pair of harem pants for the comfort factor but the last thing I need is to make my freakishly long torsos look like pillars while making my legs even stumpier. Nor have I yet mastered the art of the Hammer Dance. I am not yet too legit to quit.
I bought about eight pairs of harem pants on my last trip to Thailand. I am head over heels with them. So breezy, so secure. I got a red pair and I feel like a play curtain.
There’s a kind of ignorance that comes with casually tossing around the word “ethnic”. The kind of people who use the word to describe anything remotely “wild” or “tribal” (that’s another good one) or “exotic” won’t stop to consider the consequence or connotation of their word choice. It’s racist both ways; it assumes that Western fashion is totally white and sterile, some kind of master template, while the rest of the world is a cornucopia of exotic riches to pluck from. It’s such a post-colonial, Orientalist mindset that’s embedded in the Western vernacular and I’m afraid few people care enough to change it.
After all, how many of those “ethnic” prints are faithful recreations of any specific culture? How much money could I bet that it’s just a mishmash of “arabesque” and “oriental” designs all cooked up to look “wild”? The designer’s ignorance will beget the consumer’s ignorance.
Could you tell me more about your forum? I is interesteded.
Thanks for your response, deeda. I love it when I get long comments like yours, M’s and Liz’s! It makes me happy to have started a blog
My forum is not very active but I’ll e-mail you a link.