When I was 12, I dressed like a gypsy; traditional dress, dark eyeshadow, rosy cheeks, black eyeliner and gold jewelry everywhere. Naively, my intention was to dress in a costume that was fun to wear and would also make me feel as free as a “wandering gypsy.” It wasn't until years later that I realized how little I knew about the real challenges my costume posed. The Gypsies did not have a great desire to travel; rather, they had no choice but to move in a constant attempt to flee for their lives. I represented nothing but a bedazzled form of contempt for the culture of appropriation. People think cultural appropriation is harmless, but in reality it is deeply disrespectful. The Difference Between AppreciationThe most common type of cultural appropriation today, however, comes in a musical form. There is nothing wrong with an individual from a dominant group trying to learn a traditional Hispanic dance. The issue of cultural appropriation, however, comes into play when people like the director of the film Dirty Dancing, Emile Aldolino, used white actors as the primary source of information about a Hispanic cultural dance and labeled it "Dirty Dancing." . In doing so, Emile Aldolino links the loss of innocence of the main character (a young white woman) to a cultural dance created to celebrate women. Taking the dance customs of a culture and not only ignoring the origin of that dance culture, but even calling the dance something dirty, is an example of why cultural appropriation should be frowned upon. It is during events like this that dominant cultures deprive minorities not only of recognition and credit, but above all of the importance of great cultural value. Similarly, in the 1950s, because African Americans were not yet widely accepted in American society, record producers would choose to sign with white artists rather than the discriminated black race, in the aim to form a sort of replication of the musical styles at the origin of the discrimination. with black musicians. Regardless of cultural appropriation, appropriation is not only undeniable but also inevitable in a mixing society. Yet, while one cannot help but be intrigued by other cultures, it is important to realize that when one "borrows" cultural aspects without proper representation and/or permission, it is not not a form of appreciation but rather of appropriation. For this reason, it is not only suggested but required that members of a salad bowl society learn the difference between borrowing and taking. Just as you would like your image to be respected and properly recognized, you must make it a personal duty to never, for this reason, distort or ignore the image of others.