#an inaccurate costume that perpetuates harmful stereotypes etc.

[markantonys]

literally thank you for criticizing internet « fashion historians » these people BOIL MY BLOOD

SAME and i’m glad to do a public service hdjfg i once took a class about film/tv adaptations of ancient rome and on day 1 our prof was like “we’re not here just to point out historical inaccuracies, that tells us nothing. we’re here to think about WHY the creators made those changes and what their effects are” and ever since that class i’ve had absolutely no patience for the crowd who’s quick to cry HISTORICAL INACCURACY to show off how smart they are yet never attempts to go any deeper than that. don’t just tell me how it’s historically inaccurate, tell me why the creators made the change (i promise you 9 times out of 10 you’ll be able to think of an explanation other than laziness/ignorance, contrary to popular belief creators of historical fiction DO do research, and then they may choose to deviate from it in certain places for specific storytelling purposes) and tell me what the effect is. if you can’t come up with a solid answer for either of those, then guess what, the inaccuracy is a minor thing that doesn’t matter! and if you can come up with a solid answer and it turns out the effect is actually positive, then the inaccuracy is a good thing. for costumes specifically, sometimes it’s as simple as taking creative liberties in order to create costumes & hairstyles that are more aesthetically pleasing to a modern audience (historical inaccuracy hating crowd, you may want to watch shows where everybody looks like they only bathe once a year, but i for one, and i daresay the general audience too, certainly do not).

other times it can be much deeper. positive costuming example: hollywood often shows corsets as being painful when historically they weren’t (so people say, i’ve never studied it so idk). why is this inaccuracy made and what’s its effect? corset-induced discomfort scenes are often used in cinema as a shorthand way of showing how the expectations and beauty standards placed on women in the time period were very restrictive and oppressive (think of in pirates of the caribbean when elizabeth passes out from her corset at the same time as she’s being pressured into a marriage she doesn’t want). which in my opinion is a good and important thing to show, therefore i think this costuming inaccuracy is a good change.

negative costuming example: cleopatra is usually portrayed onscreen with stereotypically “egyptian” (and slutty) fashion despite the fact that historically she typically dressed in greek-style clothing (aside from special occasions such as egyptian religious ceremonies). why is this inaccuracy made and what’s its effect? it’s feeding into augustan propaganda that attempted to paint cleopatra as the enemy by making her the egyptian other in contrast to the roman self, and by continuing to perpetuate this idea (and often showing egyptianness as synonymous with excess, depravity, etc.), hollywood also perpetuates that same us vs. them mentality as well as a whole host of harmful orientalist ideas and stereotypes (hbo rome is the first example that comes to my mind, i did a whole project about it for my roman movie class, and also the portrayal of the persians in 300 is absolutely horrible for similar reasons)

[agst232-blog]

Journal Entry #6

Why do you think young white artists (Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus) have such a tendency to appropriate from other cultures? Have you witnessed cultural appropriation first hand (Halloween, music festivals, etc.)? How do you identify cultural appropriation?

Although I am sure people have always felt strongly about cultural appropriation, I haven’t been familiar with the term and its context until it has come under fire in the last few years. I do not think cultural appropriation is necessarily an area of black and white or right and wrong. For example, if it were considered wrong or offensive to only wear clothes, do dance moves, or eat the food of your own culture, religion, or nationality, I would venture to say life would get restricted and boring pretty fast. That being said, I do think in many other circumstances it is wrong to participate in culture appropriation. One example the author gave of this is when culture is used in a way that gives an inaccurate portrayal of someone’s way of life or actively encourages hurtful or untrue stereotypes. From this point, I believe it can turn from a sense of appreciation to making fun of people or perpetuating cultural stereotypes very quickly. The example she gave of this in the article was blackfacing. One example I see of this frequently as a college student is people dressing as a culture on Halloween. The most popular of these costumes to come under fire would have to be people who dress as Native Americans. Not only is this offensive and harmful to members of the Native American culture, but it is more often than not a completely inaccurate portrayal of their sacred and important culture. I think famous people use cultural appropriation to reach out to broader audiences or incorporate a wider fan base. At one point, I can see both sides of the argument, but on another side, I believe that it is a one thing to learn about and appreciate other cultures, and it is another to make fun of another culture by encouraging stereotypes. In my personal opinion, these two actions are 100% mutually exclusive.