Cultural Appropriation: A Closer Look

The conversation around cultural appropriation has become a hot topic within the creative industries: it’s a pertinent issue in literature and the publishing industry, as well as fashion and music. But what do we really mean when we talk about cultural appropriation?

What exactly is cultural appropriation? 

The Oxford English Dictionary defines cultural appropriation as “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the practices, customs, or aesthetics of one social or ethnic group by members of another (typically dominant) community or society.” The earliest evidence for cultural appropriation is from 1945 in the essay of professor Arthur E. Christy, who wrote about “European cultural appropriation from the Orient.” While the term has gained traction in recent years, especially in the arts, the concept itself isn’t new. What has changed is the visibility of these appropriations - and the backlash they can provoke.

Creators such as writers, artists and musicians have always drawn from cultures beyond their own, often in ways that enrich their work. But the line is crossed when cultural elements are lifted without credit, stripped of context, or repackaged for commercial gain, while the originating communities remain marginalized. In essence, the real concern lies in cultural misappropriation: when representation becomes exploited and misrepresented.

Recent examples of cultural misappropriation

Consider the fashion industry. In June 2025, luxury label Prada faced accusations of cultural appropriation for a sandal design resembling traditional Indian Kolhapuri chappals, which sparked a backlash in India. The sandals, presented at Milan Fashion Week, were criticised for not acknowledging their Indian origin, despite their clear resemblance to the handcrafted Kolhapuri chappal, a design with centuries of history. Following the criticism, Prada acknowledged that the sandals were inspired by traditional Indian footwear.

Music is no exception. In her 2025 music video True Blue, Canadian artist Tommy Genesis (who is of Tamil and Swedish descent), stirred controversy and was accused of blasphemy and cultural appropriation by both Hindu and Christian communities. She incorporated Hindu and Christian religious iconography and traditional aesthetics - such as temple imagery, Hindu symbols, South Asian bridal wear and the crucifix - into a hyper-stylised, erotically charged, visual landscape. Demands for the video's removal flooded social media, as users expressed disappointment and called for respect towards religious sentiments. 

Books are at risk of being criticised too. In November 2024, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver pulled his children’s book Billy and the Epic Escape. Though Oliver had requested for his publisher Penguin Random House to consult with Indigenous Australian sensitivity readers, this did not happen due to ‘editorial oversight’. First Nations leaders said the book reproduced harmful stereotypes and trivialised complex, painful histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children being forcibly removed from their families under government assimilation policies.

These examples underline the complexity of the cultural appropriation debate. Who decides when something is offensive? When does admiration turn into appropriation? 

A climate of fear?

Many writers (myself included), agree that they should have the creative freedom to write characters from backgrounds different from their own. Yet there’s a ‘climate of fear’ in publishing around cultural appropriation and voice. Writers are increasingly cautious - sometimes to the point of paralysis - for fear of getting it wrong or being publicly shamed.

This fear is not entirely unreasonable. There have been instances where authors have been rightly criticised for leaning on stereotypes or failing to do the necessary research, resulting in shallow or offensive depictions. But there are also powerful examples of authors writing beyond their lived experiences with grace, humility and authenticity. Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day, Thomas Keneally’s Schindler’s Ark and Alexander McCall Smith’s The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series all portray worlds far from the authors' own identities, yet these works are celebrated for their humanity, depth, and historical sensitivity.
 

Responsible writing

So how can writers navigate this terrain responsibly? Engaging deeply with the communities being represented, conducting rigorous research, avoiding clichés, and working with cultural consultants or sensitivity readers are responsible steps. These tools aren’t about censorship - they’re about accountability and respect.

At its core, storytelling requires empathy. It asks writers to inhabit lives unlike their own. To suggest that a writer should never venture beyond their own identity is to misunderstand the purpose of fiction: it would cause overnight ‘fiction extinction’! In Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo’s words, “This whole idea of cultural appropriation is ridiculous. Because that would mean that I could never write white characters or white writers can never write Black characters…I believe that as long as it’s done with empathy, respect and responsibly, it’s OK.”

Humility at the heart of writing

Most of us instinctively agree: literature thrives when boundaries are crossed with care, curiosity and humility. What matters most is not whether writers write outside their own identity, but how they do it.

Davina is a freelance authenticity editor who proofreads and copyedits too. She has worked with traditional publishers on fiction and non-fiction works. She won a place on the HarperCollins Author Academy in 2022 and is working on writing her first book. She has led a workshop about 'Writing What You Don't Know' at the Jericho Writers’ London Festival of Writing in June 2025 and will be speaking at The Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) conference in September 2025.