TikTok's Fueling of Cultural Appropriation

Cultural appropriation may not be anything new to social media platforms, but TikTok is giving it a bigger platform. Although other social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook have their fair share of creators appropriating cultures that are not theirs, TikTok is where it is seen most frequently. Tragically, it allows creators to profit from other communities with no consequences. 

TikTok was originally known as Musical.ly before its name change in 2018. It quickly grew in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and along with this rise came controversy. Recently, there has been a lot of conflict regarding the type of content posted by some creators. The lack of empathy and recognition towards minority communities has been one of the main issues. 

An example of this is the famous “spa water” and “Cowboy caviar,” which is highly inspired by Central American and Mexican culture and is better known as “aguas frescas” and ceviche. Another popular example is Hailey Bieber’s “brownie glazed lips” tutorial she posted that went viral. In her video, she is seen applying a brown lip liner and applying lip gloss over it. This lip combo has been very popular in the Latino and Black communities for many decades. The reason that this lip combination began was because brands lacked inclusivity and did not carry shades that matched darker skin tones. Continuing with the theme of makeup, many people formed an obsession with the “fox-eye” trend, which stems from Asian beauty, and then the “clean girl aesthetic,” which comes from both Latino and Black culture. 

When creators with a large following don’t own up to their mistakes or credit the communities from whom they take “inspiration” from, they are showing their audience that it is okay to do these things. Just because you rename something doesn't mean that it didn't already exist and that people aren't already aware of it. When you rename something, you are trying to take away its origin. It is upsetting to see how normalized cultural appropriation has become, and the fact that it continues to happen means that people do not care to show respect to these minority communities. It does not take anything away from a creator to give the proper credit and acknowledgment to these groups. 

While some people may think that people are exaggerating the term “cultural appropriation” with trends like these, they are not. It is completely valid that people are upset. When marginalized communities share their culture in the form of food or clothing, they get called negative and derogatory terms. On the other hand, when white people do it, they get praised, grow in popularity and make money from these “trends.” TikTok should hold these creators more accountable for their actions.