Cultural Commodification
Despite being labeled the “American melting pot,” historical application presents America as racially and culturally oppressive. Even with a variety of cultural heritages comprising the country, historical instances of discrimination such as slavery and segregation have shown a disconnect between acceptance and diversity. However, in recent times, with the influx of Kpop, Anime, and rap music, cultural integration from increased globalization has skyrocketed through the internet. Although increased cultural globalization may suggest greater representation of different cultural groups, many point to the fact that this admiration of cultures comes with its share of detrimental effects.
Throughout history and current day, people of color have received vast prejudice based on racial heritage. Beyond historical determinants in social mobility, many have been considered unprofessional in workplace settings for cultural hairstyles or dialect or were bullied for certain differences in appearance or lifestyle. Not only have many received immediate damaging remarks based on their heritage, but rhetoric in the media has continually underrepresented or showcased marginalized communities under harmful stereotypes. Out of the actors in top movies, only 4.8% were Asian, 6.2% Hispanic, 12.1% African American, 0.7% part of the LGBTQ community, and 2.5% disabled. Thus, some may believe that the increase in what appears as cultural appreciation is correcting these wrongs, but some note that this has only created a new form of racism under the subtype of obsession and exploitation.
This recent type of racism is most heavily influenced by commodification, which is defined as the commercialization of a person or idea. With the example of Korean culture, the industry of K-pop has bloomed since 2012 with the hit-song Gangnam Style by Psy. Groups like BTS and BlackPink, movies such as Parasite, and Kdramas like Crash Landing on You have skyrocketed Korean commercial success in America. This in itself is a huge step in introducing new culture and diversity into the country, but the reactions from Americans have been deemed unsettling by some. For example, many who consume Asian media have begun to fetishize Asian culture and Asian people themselves.
In racist laws and the media, Asian women have often been fetishized or seen as hyper-sexual. The news source CNN states that the Page Act of 1875 “was enacted seemingly to restrict prostitution and forced labor. In reality, it was used systematically to prevent Chinese women from immigrating to the US, under the pretense that they were prostitutes.” Likewise, the obsession over Korean culture has become a new form of racism in dehumanizing Korean people under a fetishized idea for commercial success. The news source The Strand says, “In the comment sections of Asian creators’ TikToks, it’s so common to see dozens of comments comparing them to an idol or calling them unnie and oppa. It’s one thing to genuinely think that someone resembles a celebrity and another thing to compare the first Asian person you see to a K-pop idol on the basis of their race.” With this new admiration over Korean culture, many have taken apart the culture from the person’s identity. While this fascination may seem like appreciation to some, it stems from colonialism and propels exotification of other cultures. This only furthers the “other” identity of different cultures rather than providing them with equality and respect. Thus, instead of enacting real change to correct racial prejudices, people have gone on to commercialize a culture, obsess over the culture, and confine people of that culture into an idealized box.
The article “Aint Got Enough Money to Pay me Respect,” notes that similar commodification of Black culture “is a superficial show of tokenized representation that serves to obscure the ways in which this process has not only failed to create deep social changes but has effectively enacted existing power dynamics.” Thus, while consuming media of different cultural heritages is a neutral action, it is the infatuation with a culture accompanied with commercialized idealization of cultural groups that has continued the divide in social groups through warped perceptions of other identities.
This commodification has led to cultural appropriation and race-fishing, as many non-ethnic people will dress in cultural apparel or change their makeup, tan, or hair to steal certain ethnic features. For instance, many celebrities such as Ariana Grande and Kim Kardashian have been accused of stealing certain Black features for their own gain with box braid hairstyles, dark tan, and even certain dialects. While non-ethnic people can easily alter these features to fit into certain trends, those who identify with the ethnicity are forced to face the social repercussions of their appearance. For instance, many Black women have been denied jobs due to what is deemed unprofessional in hairstyle, while non-Black celebrities and people wear such hairstyles for personal profit on social media. Thus, while it may not seem as though following the Fox-eye trend, a makeup look that mimics Asian eye features, is harmful, such trends commodify ethnic features without giving any credit to the origins. Once these styles go out of fashion, those with ethnic features have to face the aftermath while non-ethnic people can change styles to fit whatever is in fashion.
While the consumption and influx of diverse media is helpful in representing a wide range of communities, the exploitation of such cultures for personal profit is highly detrimental. Thus, it is necessary to consider the potential harm before viewing someone of another culture as either lesser than or on a pedestal. While the latter may seem the better option, the way to correct racism is to treat others with equality and respect, not as a commodity, an inferior, or a generalized stereotype.
works cited
“Ain’t got enough money to pay me respect ... - sage journals. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/15327086211029357
Candelario, C. (2020, July 24). What is blackfishing? the controversial Beauty trend you *don't* want to get behind. PureWow. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.purewow.com/wellness/what-is-blackfishing
Hajimirsadeghi, A. (2020, September 2). K-pop: A global commodity - pop culture. Curiosity Shots. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://curiosityshots.com/k-pop-a-global-commodity/
Kaur, H. (2021, March 18). Fetishized, sexualized and marginalized, Asian women are uniquely vulnerable to violence. CNN. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/17/us/asian-women-misogyny-spa-shootings-trnd/index.html
Lee, S., Baillie, G., & Veilleux, L.-P. (2020, September 17). I'm not your unnie. The Strand. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://thestrand.ca/im-not-your-unnie/#:~:text=Koreaboos%20are%20people%20who%20are,culture%2C%20and%20call%20themselves%20Korean.&text=Asian%20fetishization%20is%20built%20upon,people%20into%20a%20single%20category
Garanzo, J. P. (n.d.). Photo of woman wearing traditional headwear · free stock photo. Pexels. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-woman-wearing-traditional-headwear-2907013/
