The Australia Times - TAT Girl magazine. Volume 2, issue 1

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

VOL. 2 No. 1

February 2014

TATGiRL

Photography Culture Poetry Art Food Music Fashion Life

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

TATGiRL

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

WHAT’S INSIDE?

Amy Freund

E d i tor

Rachel Plank

Creative Editor

Hello there fellow readers!

It’s a new year! And you know what that

means – post new years resolution regret!

If one of your resolutions is to start writing

for something other than school/uni/ work,

its time to get published! TATGiRL is always

looking for fresh new ideas and passionate

writers, just send us an email and wipe away

the new year regret with some inspirational

writing!

Love, the TATGiRL team xx

A brief description of yourself and all submissions can

be emailed to amy.freund@theaustraliatimes.com.au

Tis the season to be...Jolly?

Leadbeaters possum will not be beaten

LAMB - Look At Me Bitches

How to be a smarter shopper

A Royal Celebration

Summer, Sun and Pimm’s

Passing Moments

To each their own

Understanding Acne

Contributors:

Eilish Gilligan

Ying Wang

Janet Galbraith

Zoe Kimpton

Madonna Melrose

Hannah Patchett

Brittany Stewart

Celeste Juliano

Tina Afshar

Fiona Campbell

Alexandra Saltis

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Tis the season

...jolly?

to be

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

Christmas. We love it, right? We

love the festivities, the presents

and, perhaps to a lesser ex-

tent, the family get togethers

at which painstaking general

questions like “how’s school?”

must be endured. To an even

lesser extent, we kind of like

shopping for Christmas pre-

sents, trudging through crowds

of painful people who are well

and truly sick of the repetitive

nature of every Christmas pe-

riod. Make a list, check it twice

and go shopping at least thrice.

Surely we’ve lost something

in translation? Consumerism

seems to have taken over,

and we no longer appreciate

the presents we get, let alone

what the whole ‘festive’ season

means. Indeed, calling it festive

now seems to be a cruel joke.

Although there may be more

red, green and gold decorations

hanging than ever, Christmas

seems to have become a time

to dread rather than celebrate

due to the ﬁnancial burden

and the annoyingly persis-

tent Christmas carols that are

obligatorily played everywhere.

Even the shopping centre Santa

Clauses’ are looking worn out

and, in many cases, downright

creepy. So where is the merri-

ment to which Christmas carols

refer? And where is the religious

element? And where is the joy?

If you asked a three year old

what Christmas is all about,

they would refer to Santa and

perhaps some elves or a toy

workshop. Even these ideas

seem to be wearing thin in their

credibility for some children,

who already realise that there

is no one authentic Santa, only

to be disturbed years later by

the fact that there is no San-

ta at all. After this discovery,

children and then adults seem

to continue searching for the

magic and meaning of Christ-

mas which does, undoubtedly,

disappear upon the vaporisa-

tion of the Santa myth. Then

those children become adults

and have their own children

and presumably the myth

begins again, and brings some

smidgeon of glory back into

the whole holiday. But without

children, what do adults really

understand of Christmas? We

understand buying presents

and, especially for those of us

who are unfortunate enough to

work in retail during Christmas

time, we understand the anx-

iousness that comes with the

above ‘responsibility’. We worry

about ﬁnances, about how to

top the presents we bought last

year, and we worry about who

has the burden of cooking the

ridiculously oversized turkey.

The meaning seems to have

disappeared and we are no

longer interested in giving, but

rather fulﬁlling the expecta-

tion that shopping centres and

advertising campaigns place

on us- buy, buy and...yes, that’s

right, buy.

I too am guilty of the above.

And perhaps I am more ex-

posed to it as a result of work-

ing in the Gloom Capital at

Christmas time. After all, no

* *

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Independent Media Inspiring Minds

By ALEXANDRA SALTIS

* * * * * * * * * *

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

one, least of all me, wants to be

there. So I’ve searched for some

Christmas meaning- something

that actually makes this sea-

son dierent from all the other

days of the year on which we

spend money unnecessarily.

Perhaps the meaning should be

a religious one, but this has its

boundaries. Only people who

are part of a religious group or

those who actually care about

Jesus being born (which is

probably now the minority) will

be able to ﬁnd this meaning.

But what about the atheists

out there that celebrate Christ-

mas? Albeit contradictory, they

seem to be perfectly happy

getting gifts on Christmas

morning, opening crackers and

stung themselves to the point

of nausea and coma. So where

is their meaning? And where

is the meaning for everyone

in between? The people who

have only been at church on

Christmas and Easter for the

last ten years? Or the people

who see a manger and a baby

in the Myer store windows and

recall vaguely a story about an

inn and a stable and three wise

men?

This is what I can ﬁnd the

meaning in- the giving part of

what has become the Christ-

mas performance and ritual.

Perhaps if we didn’t give peo-

ple gifts out of obligation, but

because we believed that they

would be truly appreciated but

not expected. Perhaps if we

wrote something more heart-

felt in Christmas cards than

just “Merry Christmas and

Happy New Year”, the holiday

would lose some of its artiﬁcial-

ity. And perhaps if we stopped

worrying about how many peo-

ple we had to cook or provide

for, and appreciate that those

people want to spend Christ-

mas day with us, we might

forget that the cranberry sauce

developed some strange lumps

in it. And perhaps if we thought

about how to give something

special to others, not in the

form of a present, but in the

spirit of giving, then maybe we

would begin to understand and

appreciate what it is to receive

presents too, and what a bless-

ing it is.

So perhaps this year when I

receive another crappy Kris

Kringle present or another

strange and somewhat un-

welcome artefact from a

well-meaning relative, I’ll try

and ﬁnd meaning in the actual

act of handing over the pres-

ent and not just what is un-

derneath the wrapping paper.

Discarding Santa, and his rein-

deer but perhaps not the candy

canes, maybe this Christmas

will have a little more magic

and a little less pomp.

By ALEXANDRA SALTIS

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

LEADBEATERS

POSSUM

WILL NOT BE

BEATEN

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

Toolangi Forests ﬁght for freedom.

LEADBEATERS

POSSUM

WILL NOT BE

BEATEN

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Independent Media Inspiring Minds

By Amy Freund

Photography by Amy Freund

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

Is the old saying really true? If

a tree falls in the forest and no

one is around to hear it, does it

make a sound? Whatever the

outcome, the wilderness so-

ciety are determined that the

government will hear it, tak-

ing protesting to new heights.

Braving the loggers and the

potential for arrest, Wilderness

society member and activist

Hannah Patchett is embarking

on the endeavour of a lifetime,

by doing the most unexpected

thing possible, nothing. Noth-

ing but inhabit one of Toolangi

forests highest trees in a bid

to stop the clear fell of Tool-

angi national park, and save

the critically endangered Lead

beaters Possum.

“My main drive for going up is

because there is a little possum

called the leadbeaters possum,

which is almost extinct, there’s

only a thousand left in the wild

And they only live in this area.”

And This little guy is ﬁghting for

his life at the Toolangi front, his

400 metre high home loom-

ing dangerously closer to the

ground, with logging compa-

nies such as Australian made

clear felling his home to make

woodchips and paper, all of

which are sent overseas.

Hannah isn’t the only one.

Joining her at the front are the

knitting nannas.

Recent winners of the Envi-

ronmental Champions Award

from Environment Victoria, the

knitting nanas are dedicated

to outing the logging compa-

nies who clear fell one of our

most precious resources, and

have taken to social media,

posting live updates and pic-

tures of exactly what is hap-

pening in Toolangi.

As elderly women we peacefully

protest against the violence of

what’s been happening in the

forest with the logging and the

damage they’re doing to the

environment, and the breaches

they’re making with the lead

beater possum habitat. So we

knit outside of forests, we have

knitted once in a logging coup,

which were going to court over

but will continue to knit to

protest.

And in their newest plight, the

nanas are knitting a 120 meter

scarf in honor of their sepina,

the scarf marking the exact

distance they have to stay

away from the logging trucks.

Hopefully, more individuals

like Hannah and the knitting

nannas help stop the exter-

mination of our national park.

But for now, the ﬁght contin-

ues for Toolangi residents, big

and small.

...there’s only a thousand

left in the wild.

‘

‘‘

- Hannah Patchett

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Independent Media Inspiring Minds

My niece tells me -

after spending a month living

up a tree in Toolangi -

that there is too much silence

in the city.

In the old growth forest birds

call constantly

branches swish and crack

the wind and rain hurtle

hitting forest ﬂoor

ancient trunks

leaves

and the little red tree house.

As for the possums

I imagine them

busily sharpening their claws.

- Janet Galbraith

‘

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

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Independent Media Inspiring Minds

– for people who don’t mind a bit of attention!

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

– for people who don’t mind a bit of attention!

Whoever said being the centre o

attention was a bad thing!

Australia has a culture of dressing

modestly; not too bright, not too

dark, and certainly not to unique,

or else god forbid the glances

from strangers! But now there is

a whole new trend arising from

the depths of Fitzroy, free expres-

sion and “the bigger the better”

attitude of crazy headwear and

colourful get ups is inﬁltrating the

fashion scene, and it’s about time!

In the past, headwear was the go

to option for showcasing individ-

uality and style, (need we look

past Marie Antoinette!) Hitting

its heights in the 1800s and early

20th century, anyone who was

anyone expressed themselves

through headdress, but as of the

1950’s headress has since declined,

the only appropriate time to

adorn your cranium with anything

remotely outlandish is saved for

spring racing and dance concerts.

But in the past two years, head-

wear has since come back into the

spotlight, the ‘indie’ craze reintro-

ducing the ﬂower crown as a fun

and individual way to show our

heads o to their best, and have

since then found a wide reaching

audience, many young crafters

now taking full advantage of the

trend and starting their own lines

of couture creations that even the

biggest sceptic would feel privi-

leged to wear.

Stacey Townsend is another tal-

ented craftie who has taken up

the opportunity to design some

amazing pieces; her new couture

headwear line allowing you to

show o your noodle in the best

way. In her First year out of a

Fashion diploma, Her headwear

line; coined after a conversation

with her boyfriend, LAMB, (Look

at me Bitches,) has been in high

demand, her made to order head-

pieces ranging from ﬂower crowns

to the all out absurd.

Combining her two loves of the-

atre and costume design, Stacey

began wearing and creating her

own headpieces, starting with

simple ﬂoral and pom pom de-

signs and progressing to her all

out whacky designs with pieces

including xylophones, troll dolls

and horse jumping ﬁgurines!

Sourcing her materials from eBay

and opp-shops, Stacey’s creations

are each unique and individual

to the customer, and her own

imagination.

As well as her headwear line, Sta-

cey part owns a theatre company,

and her ultimate goal to become

a costume designer.

“The goal is to become a

costumer designer, but for now

I’m just working my way up to it

as a business owner of the thea-

tre – I’m working my way up to the

fun stu!”

Stacey also hopes to have a stall

at Camberwell market soon,

selling her wild creations to a

mass market.

Check out LAMB on Facebook and

order your custom headpiece to

stand out against the ever-inten-

sifying summer sun!

Written by Amy Freund

Photographed by Stacey Townswend

“My inspiration for each headpiece is dierent, I

normally go straight to the toy section of a second

hand store and see if I can ﬁnd something quirky and

unique that’s small enough to ﬁt onto someone’s

head and I’ll work my design around it.”

STACEY TOWNSEND AND HER HEADPIECES

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Independent Media Inspiring Minds

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Independent Media Inspiring Minds

Photography by Zoe Kimpton

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Independent Media Inspiring Minds

HOW TO

BE A SMARTER

SHOPPER

With the start of a new

year comes the inevitable

list of resolutions. Oh yes,

that all too familiar list of

elusive goals and changes

we promise ourselves we

will (ﬁnally!) stick to and

achieve this year – join

gym, get ﬁt, save money,

quit gym, travel, learn to

cook etc…

But what about your fash-

ion resolutions? In a world

of fast fashion, hunger for

the latest shiny things and

the hazy delights of pay

day, one can often ﬁnd

themselves with a ward-

robe cluttered with the

labels you don’t want to

see – ‘Expensive Mistake’,

‘I Already Have One Of

These’, ‘Still Yet To Be Worn’

and of course, the good old

‘What Was I Thinking!?”.

To prevent 2014 from be-

ing a similar year, add the

fashion resolution ‘ To be a

smarter shopper’ to your

list – and actually achieve it

with our four easy rules. We

guarantee you (and your

bank account) will feel all

the better for it!

By Brittany Stewart

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

Know what you’ve got.

The ﬁrst and foundation

step to being a smart

shopper is knowing

exactly what you’ve already

got, and as a result, any gaps

that need to be ﬁlled. Do a

spring clean and go through

your wardrobe to familiarise

yourself with your clothes, do-

nating or recycling anything

that no longer ﬁts your or you

haven’t worn in more than

a year (with the exception

of special event wear!) Once

you’ve done that, rearrange

your wardrobe so everything

is neatly organised and ac-

cessible. Having everything

clearly visible should hopefully

by Brittany Stewart

result in less “I haven’t got

anything to wear” moments

that are often followed by

emergency shopping excur-

sions. How you organise your

wardrobe is up to you – look to

sites like Pinterest for storage

inspiration before heading to

Kmart or Ikea for inexpensive

organising solutions.

Do you really need

that? The golden rule

of 3.

I’m a sucker for a sale.

Show me a reduced or two

for one sale sign and I lose all

decorum and go crazy, often

purchasing things I don’t re-

ally need. Rather than adding

lots of cheaper pieces from

the high street that you know

you’ll see lots of people wear-

ing too, think about investing

in fewer, better quality piec-

es. Closet staples like a good

pair of jeans, leather jacket,

a dress you feel amazing in,

stylish sunnies and quality

basics are always going to

be worth your money and

are extremely versatile. This

can be achieved on a budget

too – keep an eye out for

outlets and sample sales to

snap up pieces at a fraction

of the cost, or spend a day

having a good rummage in

op-shops. When in doubt,

apply the golden rule of 3

that my mum always taught

me - Can you work it into

three outﬁts with pieces you

already own? If not, put it

down.

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Independent Media Inspiring Minds

by Brittany Stewart

Style not Fashion.

Yes, we all love to have

the latest and greatest

fashion item, but if you

have a style that works for

you, don’t be afraid to stick

with it! The best-dressed peo-

ple are the ones who always

dress for themselves, not for

passing trends and fads. They

consistently look good be-

cause they accentuate their

best assets in clothes that

suit them, rather than what’s

‘fashionable’ at the time.

Choosing the season’s colours

in your favourite style or opt-

ing for the must-have acces-

sories is an easy way to stay

looking stylish and on trend.

Never underesti-

mate the power of

accessories, a fresh

manicure and well-

styled hair.

A cheap, simple and easy

way to dress up or update

an outﬁt without spending

lots of money on clothes is

through accessories. Cocktail

rings, statement necklaces,

earrings, big cus and colour-

ed and textured clutches are

great ways to revitalise your

wardrobe with current trends.

Build up your costume jew-

ellery collection by buying a

few pieces each season, and

it will look like you never wear

the same outﬁt again! As

well as accessories, looking

well groomed is another easy

trick to ensuring you look your

best, even if that dress you’re

wearing is from a few sea-

sons ago. Wearing your hair

or makeup dierently com-

pletely changes the look of

an outﬁt, so don’t be afraid

to experiment with dierent

hairstyles and make-up looks.

And the number one rule of

always looking well-groomed?

Always, always sport perfectly

painted nails!

Ultimately, being a smart

shopper is all about having

restraint, a discerning eye and

conﬁdence in your own per-

sonal style. Whether this

is a resolution you achieve

straight away, or just keep

in the back of your mind, TAT

Girl wishes you a fabulous and

stylish 2014!

Photography: Google images

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

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Independent Media Inspiring Minds

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It’s a growing trend for socie-

ty to discard the youth of to-

day, branding them as mind-

less teenagers who slump

around on the couch all day,

conducting their useless ritual

of tv, fridge, computer, bed,

sleep. But little do they know,

there is a whole new breed

of young individuals stepping

up to the plate and showing

the community what they’re

made of, reaching all new

heights of ﬁtness, community

involvement and technical

skill through the Duke of Ed-

inburgh award.

The Duke of Edinburgh is an

experience that encourag-

es young people to go out

there and get involved in the

world outside the classroom,

oering dierent levels of

achievement by completing

adventurous journeys, com-

munity service and acquiring

or improving on a technical

skill; be it driving, learning an

instrument, playing a sport,

or anything else their heart

desires!

A Royal Celebration

In victoria alone, there are

250 licensed operators that

run the Duke of Ed, with over

9000 participants last year.

The Gold award is the highest

award achieved within the

Duke of Edinburgh challenge,

and I had the privilege of at-

tending the ceremony on the

11th December last year. The

pride in the awardees eyes as

they received their accolade

showed just how important

the experience was to them;

their strength and commit-

ment to both their academic

and co-curricular lives is truly

something to be commend-

ed.

Speaking on behalf of the

Gold awardees, Bareetu Aba

Bulgu, a year 11 student,

spoke highly of the Duke of

Edinburgh as being an un-

forgettable experience that

encouraged resilience, an

adventurous spirit and a will-

ingness to be involved within

the community in all of the

participants.

The duke of Edinburgh

gold awards

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

‘

...we both learnt

from each other; I

learnt about their

culture, and they

in turn learnt

about us.

‘

My favourite ex-

perience was my

800km bike ride

from Canberra to

Melbourne’s Fed

square. It took 6

days of riding, and I

rode about 130 km’s

each day.

“We all have our highlights of

the experience. I really en-

joyed going to canteen creek

indigenous community cultur-

al exchange program. I really

liked how we both learnt from

each other; I learnt about

their culture, and they in turn

learnt about us.”

Sophie Weston is another

enthusiastic ambassador of

the Duke of Ed, the award

enabling her to do things that

she would never have done

before, such as volunteering

in an aged care home and

completing a mammoth jour-

ney, cycling all the way from

Canberra to Melbourne.

“My favourite experience was

my 800km bike ride from

Canberra to Melbourne’s Fed

square. It took 6 days of rid-

ing, and I rode about 130 km’s

each day.”

Sophie completed her solo

ride by cycling into fed square

with her squad team from

school, and managed to raise

over 7,000 dollars to help bet-

ter breast cancer awareness

and research.

As exciting and honorary

the award is for the young

individuals whose blood

sweat and tears went into

their Duke of Ed, the award

will never be what it was all

about. The friends they’ve

made and the achievements

they’ve accomplished will

be what they forever hold in

their minds as the true Duke

of Edinburgh experience.

By Amy Freund

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

Find out more about

The Duke of Ed:

W: awardsvic.org.au

P: 03 8412 9333

E: info@awardsvic.org.au

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Independent Media Inspiring Minds

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image courtesy of Awards Victoria, Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awards.

Above: Sophie weston

Below: Bareetu Aba-Bulgu. His Excellency The Honourable Alex Chernov

AC QC, Governor of Victoria. Bareetu receives the Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s

Award from the Governor of Victoria.

Summer,

Sun

PIMM'S

Summer has ﬁnally arrived

hooray! Time for my translu-

cent skin to resemble that of

a lobster, while the rest of the

sun-kissed community sport

roasting tans and beach hair

even a supermodel would be

jealous of!

And while I’m tucked away

in my bedroom with the air

con on 18 and a doona on my

English routes; with a giant jug

of Pimms! Pimms, lemonade,

cucumber, strawberries and

orange, all dancing merrily

in my cup; just what the

queen ordered!

However did I become so ob-

sessed with a drink my grand-

ma would be proud of? Glad

you asked!

Amy Freund

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

Photography by Amy Freund

It was last June. My friend and

I had decided on a whim that

the best way to spend our Aus-

tralian winter would be in an

even colder English summer, so

o we set to the magical coun-

try of England, Top deck tour

in one hand and fake British

accent in the other!

The ﬁrst thing we did when we

got onto English soil was to

scope out the wonders of duty

free, and being the ridiculous

tourists we were, ran straight

to the only alcoholic bottle that

had the coveted union jack

splashed on its label – Pimms.

Curious as to what this drink

actually was, we had a trial of

the taster, and the rest is histo-

ry. The ﬁzz, the smooth texture

of the drink, the refreshing

slices of cucumber as you made

your way through the half

meal- half punch was probably

the best thing I’d ever tasted – a

meal and drink in one? Genius!

Our tour started on the fourth

day, and once more we were

tempted by the on deck duty

free as we left the English coast

for those of Calais France, the

taste of Pimms still fresh in my

mind as the white clis of Do-

ver receded into the distance.

And after one ridiculously

long line and several testers of

“golden vodka,” there I was,

proudly holding my ﬁrst bottle

of Pimms, beaming as I waited

for the barman to pour me an

icy lemonade so I could relive

the magic of that ﬁrst taste,

my excitement peaking as he

sliced up the fresh cucumber

and plunged it into the drink.

Just as he passed me the

lemonade, my dreams of one

perfectly poured drink were

shut down in an instant by the

sound of a rip, tear, and crash

as the duty free bag cradling

the coveted Pimms bottle split

and smashed to the ﬂoor.

So here’s to summer, the way

I like it – rugged up in my room

with the aircon blasting artic

winds and Pimms by my side!

Tally ho!

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Independent Media Inspiring Minds

i sit in subway and think

how silly it is of me to order

black coee that burns my

tongue when all i really want

is a milky cappuccino with two

sugars and the little chocolate

sprinkles on top like my nana

used to get. i wander past the

wine shelves in the bottleshop

pretending to browse when

i know i'm heading straight

towards the clean skins ($3.99

ea) and i know i'll put it in a

drink bottle in lewis' back-

pack and reﬁll my cup in the

bar when the bouncer isn't

Passing Moments

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

Passing Moments

looking. i stand in front of the

mirror at the pub at 6.30pm

drawing eyeliner thicker and

thicker to cover the mistakes

i make cause my hands are

always shaking and i don't

know if i'm not eating enough

meat or if i'm just nervous. i

walk with henry to the donut

shop on brunswick st and he

orders some custard million

calorie concoction and i want

to smash my arm right through

the burning glass underneath

the register and pick up every

single donut on display and

throw them all as far away

from me as possible (i used to

be pretty good at ﬁrst base in

softball you know). i want to

read the harry potters again

because it's so familiar and

so warm and so 2004 when

i didn't care about anything

except harry and horses and

delta goodrem. i want to rest

my head against a horse's

neck and be a little girl and be

looked after and be worried

about and just be.

Because now i'm 20 years old

and two decades should've

taught me more than it has

and i'm happy and i'm sad and

i'm hot and cold and sitting

alone in my bedroom watching

dr. phil on a weekday and i wish

it was as simple as it is in his

40 minute sessions with mental

cases in front of an audience

of housewives because in case

you didn't realise life is not

like tv or the internet or even

books. life is in confessions at

3am when i've ﬁnished the wine

in my love's backpack and we

step out of the cab with our

legs unsteady and who's turn

is it to pay this time? oh yeah

it's mine. life is there when he

walks in front of me ﬂicking

snails o the path with his feet

and it's there when we skulk

past his little sisters restless in

bunk beds and it's there when

all i want to do is sleep and

know that his little living body

is resting next to me.

(And in the morning i'll be

hungry when i wake up near

to lunchtime again and i'll ask

for black coee even though i

know what i want).

By Eilish Gilligan

Photography by Eilish Gilligan

TATGiRL

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

Photography: Google images

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

In 2012 American cosmetics

brand Lime Crime created con-

troversy with the release of the

Chinadoll eye shadow palette. The

company was understandably

criticised for its perpetuation of

oriental stereotypes in the promo-

tional materials, and for confus-

ing aspects of Japanese and Chi-

nese culture. However, the most

interesting cause for the outcry

was the use of a Caucasian model

in the advert. When I first saw the

image, I actually considered this

to be the release’s only redeeming

factor. To me this choice made a

statement about the accessibility

of the product which would have

been the same had the model

been African or Latin American

– it demonstrated that although

inspiration for the product was

drawn from Asian culture, it could

be used by any person. In stark

contrast, many critics claimed

that by using a Caucasian model

Lime Crime was committing cul-

tural appropriation.

If you keep up with international

news and developments on the

web, this is unlikely to be the first

time you’ve heard that term. In

world increasingly preoccupied

with political correctness and the

protection of fundamental rights,

many are ready to cry "cultural

appropriation" when respect for

a people’s tradition is compro-

mised. While these defenders are

understandably aiming to put

an end to the insensitive use of

EACH OWN

cultural symbols, they are slowly

becoming less and less selective

about what should be consid-

ered an appropriation. It seems

as though cultural appropriation

is now popularly considered the

adoption of any characteristic

cultural aspect by an ‘outsider.’

This attitude is clearly problem-

atic for several reasons; not the

least of which is the fact that it is

shaping a new form of racism.

At a time when every country is

home to immigrants and several

people come from mixed cultur-

al backgrounds, it is ridiculous

to start drawing definitive lines

which decide who can participate

in a culture and to what extent.

It is also concerning to see that

seemingly inane events are creat-

ing widespread scandal amongst

cultural defenders. A good exam-

ple is the backlash against Miley

Cyrus who has been accused

of culturally appropriating the

African-American dance style

"twerking". Regulating the ways

in which people dance and dress

according to one’s race, does not

seem productive. When compared

to the misuse of sacred symbols

and traditions, the thought that

twerking has been ‘tainted’ by

an enthusiastic Miley is of little

concern. Not only is it a relatively

new phenomenon, but I’m sure

that few African-Americans would

attach great cultural significance

to the dance.

To prevent the spread of this

attitude of exclusivity, we need to

clearly distinguish between cul-

tural appropriation, and cultural

acceptance and exchange. Cultur-

al appropriation should be un-

derstood as any use of a cultural

aspect in a way which disrespects

its origins and or meaning. Yes,

that means even someone with-

in a culture can commit cultural

appropriation. Appropriation by

this definition has occurred in

recent years with the popular-

isation of the Native American

feather headdress as a fashion

accessory. Accusations are here

justified, because the headdress

carries special significance as

something to be earned. Aside

from situations such as these,

we should do our best to embrace

cultural exchange. We are particu-

larly fortunate to live in a country

like Australia where we are af-

forded the opportunity to explore

a myriad of cultures on a daily

basis. Little harm is done when

we respectfully indulge in foreign

food, film, literature, music and

dress. In fact, the ability to enjoy

and share aspects of another

culture enriches our understand-

ing of others, and adds variety to

our lives. Let’s stop the hysteria

that prevents us from becoming

global citizens, and replace cul-

tural appropriation with cultural

appreciation.

By Celeste Luliano

***

TATGiRL

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

Illustration by Ying Wang

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

Illustration by Ying Wang Illustration of Victoria Beckham by Rachel Plank

TATGiRL

Independent Media Inspiring Minds

Illustrations by Tina Afshar

TATGiRL

Independent Media Inspiring Minds