“Hippie” aesthetic or Romani appropriation? #romani #hippie #boho #culture #southasian #indigenous

[florida.florian]

This is why I always recommend buying from Romani, Indigenous and other ethnic designers instead of a misappropriated mismatch of different cultures that doesn’t even match what the “hippie” lifestyle is supposed to stand for in the first place. And for all the “wear what you want” people, fine, but don’t claim that you care about marginalized people and are anti-capitalist, anti-racist, and all the other things hippies claim to be, it’s important to hold yourself up to your own standards.

[CT---]

Hey, as someone who is Irish, whose people have been murdered, discriminated against, and enslaved, if you are not Irish but want to adorn yourself with Celtic attire, go ahead. I would be honoured for people to love my culture rather than fear it. Even if you don’t know what you’re wearing, no problem. It still makes me happy to see that my culture lives on in any way, shape or form.

[theboujieproletariat]

I want to add some more info if it's ok- I studied fashion history. Originally in the 60s and 70s this movement wasnt called hippy, hippy was something people used to say to mock them and was almost a slur. They were also called "freaks". They were not a fashion movement at all, they were people who travelled around many countries and used to find things on their travels, obviously it wasnt possibly to carry a suitcase when travelling mostly around the world in van, hitchhiking etc so they would wear it. They would travel either from Western Europe to India and north africa, or USA to south america. At the time it wasnt usually plane travel like we do now, so they would exchange things from home with local people. After some of them began returning home, an aesthetic was born. At home, they were heavily involved in politics especially civil rights movements (in the UK these guys protested the forced housing of travellers and romani community, they were aware of oppressive govt action and tried to help, some went to jail). Long story short- original hippies obtained their look by just travelling and swapping their western stuff with locals, later on it became a "fashion statement" and people just bought random stuff that looked foreign and wore it 🤷🏻‍♀️ I guess the original hippies are all in their late 70s 80s now! And those guys were really counter culture as opposed to people who do it for fashion.. store bought fashion can never truly be anti capitalist. And thats where the appropriating comes in.
The current fashion like the kids in the photo you shared probably have no idea of the history of where their clothes come from, and how anti-hippy it is to buy them from a store.
Im just guessing but I imagine the closest thing to a hippy nowadays would be the kind of person who doesnt travel on planes because of global warming and protests about fast fashion garment factory conditions, not ones who wear the stuff.
Its a shame how good things end up sometimes, and its great that you make these videos that hopefully change peoples minds before the next time they go shopping for party clothes.

[Tullahgit]

I really appreciate your commentary. As an African American I never really considered the hippy aesthetic as problematic (outside of some of the most violent people I know claiming to be "hippies" lol) but your posts really have me double checking myself. And your history is really interesting to learn about!

[LaylaSowards]

All races appropriate from lots of different cultures. Instead of it being 'appropriating' it should be appreciating, shared and celebrated. Everyone does it, from clothing, decor, food, music, religion, etc. Live and let live and love, long as nobody causes any harm. I'm an American Romanichel raised in the south. That doesn't mean I need to wear stereotypical southern attire or decorate my home with roosters and live off of soupbeans and cornbread. If a stranger walked into my home and all the pics were covered, they wouldn't have a clue what race or culture I come from. I love all kinds of different things from different countries, cultures, religions and so on ❤️ We shouldn't be so divided.

[rn]

Hippie counterculture was a movement in its own right, with its own ideas and philosophies. Yes, they got inspired from different ethnic dresses, but they weren't cosplaying Romani people or claiming they were Romani, so I don't see the appropriation and how this is offensive.

It's great to educate people in telling them that the "free-willed gypsy" image is a stereotype that has nothing to do with Romani culture (which is nowhere as "free" as some people think, in fact they are extremely conservative, much more so than hippies), but telling people how to dress or not to dress and shouting "cultural appropriation" at everything isn't helping.

[prismarinestars]

Wearing clothing that is merely vaguely similar to clothing styles from *several* other cultures (not even one specific culture!) should not be considered bad or disrespectful.

[babymoon]

Culture is meant to be shared and appreciated, people that choose to wear certain clothing and jewelry pieces do it out of appreciation because they think they are beautiful. I can understand it’s different if someone wears something in an offensive manor or purposely as a costume and deliberately mocks said culture but most people don’t do that when they wear something from another culture.

[moondoll]

Maybe I'm different, but get SO happy seeing other women dress "boho" more today, as I have my entire life. It makes me feel good to be appreciated through someone else's style. I was bullied as a kid for being Romanichal, so for me in a weird way it's lovely to see bits of our culture being enjoyed. BUT! What really grinds my gears is hearing others say "I have the soul/heart of a Gypsy" 🙄 🙄

[donteattheferret]

Romani people: Some of us had been forced to stay on the roads, and are facing discrimination all the time! At least our clothes are beautiful... 😢
'Hippies': omg such free willed people! #aesthetic you guys!

[mynamecausesconfusion]

Most of Americans can't afford to buy clothing from private small sellers- Romani or not.
Capitalism wins in the US.
I just don't see the blame on the individual when our economy has been very intricately designed to only allow a small percentage of small businesses to thrive.

[ChestersonJack]

And as someone fascinated by the United States counterculture movements, they’ve often been ridden with appropriated fashions, as well as appreciated ones, but the hippies in particular are so strange. There are so many fashions attributed to “hippies” that in reality either belong to an ethnic minority group or originated in an entirely separate counterculture (beatniks, for instance). Tbh I think the most definitive “hippie” fashion is just being naked, as one of their defining tenants is the “free love” movement. I love your videos, and it always warms the heart to finally see credit where it’s due.

[SprigPlantar]

As a romanian whos part gypsy and loves the hippy aesthetic, just let people wear what they want as long as they dont mean to wear it with bad intentions.

[dhoffman]

Thanks to your videos, I am realizing that my attraction to Romani style probably stems from my immersion in Spanish culture as a child. I was unaware of the Romani influence in Spain and the Americas.

[bellaishungry]

why can’t people wear what they want?? as long as their not doing it to make fun of a certain group of people, why is it so wrong?

[biguattipoptropica]

1910s and 1920s clothing (for the 20s, especially accessories) also seem to heavily appropriate from Romani and Black American fashion. I know fashion history is a more complex topic, but I’d love to hear your thoughts, as most fashion historians tend to gloss over it.

[LAZURAYOFFICIAL]

why must you find "problematic" angles everywhere? The beauty of humanity is sharing our cultures and celebrating our expressions as individuals - as long as the intent behind it isn't derogatory

[yakubduncan]

I think one thing that doesn't get talked about enough is that using the iconography of a marginalised group as fashion shorthand for often contributes to that marginalisation.

A good example of this being dreads. A lot of the time (though not all), white people wear dreads to signify that they are 'street' 'gangsta' or otherwise 'outside the system, ' which are meanings that have been put upon dreads by white society.

These imposed meanings are the reasons that black people are expected to abandon the most practical hairstyles to look 'professional' at work (i.e. not look 'street' or 'gangsta').

In the same way, I'd imagine its association with hippies and other counterculture movements contributes to the kind of profiling that Romani traditional garb attracts.

[myheartismadeofstars]

I confess that this kinda how I describe my fashion sense, eclectic, flowy, florals and patches, scarves, layers, loose jewelry, stuff like that. And I know it's origin as appropriation (though didn't know bohemianism was specifically a romanticism and appropriation of Romani culture and little to do with the region of Bohemia)...but it's hard when it genuinely is a beautiful fashion (and super comfortable and easy for me to deal with with my sensory issues) and no one should be looked down upon for dressing in their traditional style. I try to buy as much from thrift stores as I can to avoid giving money to people appropriating cultures who are already discriminated against (I'd happily buy from actual people of those cultures but most of them tend to be expensive, which is completely understandable! They need to make back the investment of time and money and be able to support themselvesl!! But as someone living at the poverty line it makes it hard)

[aduheartlol]

I love how you discuss cultural appropriation all the time! As an Indian American, I often feel like the appropriation of our symbols and some cultural components keeps getting swept under the rug. Namastay in bed shirts? The 🕉 symbol? Chai tea? Naan bread? Lets not forget when the West "discovered" ashwagandha. I die a little inside every time I see companies like MUD/Watr or Goli omg