Tik Tok Trendsetters V.S. Culture Preservation
Social media has completely changed the world of consumerism and marketing, especially within the beauty industry. TikTok is an app at the forefront of this change, allowing businesses and creators from all backgrounds to promote their products and creators to show their work. But many users express that some creators do not receive equal recognition, specifically people of color. Though social media is no stranger to these issues, it is upsetting to hear that such a ‘positively promoted platform’ is not the open space many claim it to be.
The platform’s backlash began in 2020 as racial injustice protest rapidly occurred throughout the United States. At the time, TikTok had great popularity for being a positive force through the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. So, the platform should support this movement and encourage coverage about protest. Unfortunately, that was not the case. According to the NBC News article, “Months After TikTok apologized to Black Creators, Many Say Little Has Changed,” by Kalhan Rosenblatt, “Last summer, as protests calling for racial justice and equality enveloped the U.S., TikTok was experiencing its own reckoning. In June, after a blackout on the app calling for Black creators to be treated more fairly amid accusations of censorship and content suppression, TikTok apologized, vowing to do better. TikTok’s popularity has been significantly helped by Black creatives, whose trends, dances, and challenge ideas were often scooped up and repackaged by white creators, boosting those creators to internet stardom.” (Rosenblatt). Many creators expressed that the TikTok algorithm would suppress or even take down their content altogether, with little explanation of how they went against the community guidelines. The relationship between TikTok and many creators is questioned because it is difficult to say who the platform wants to thrive or deprive. Recently the app promoted seminars, hashtags, and virtual meetings to include minority creators with events such as “Kicking Off Black History Month,” “Latinx Created,” & “API Family.” But it still does not make up for the lack of algorithm support creators of color have on the platform.
Rosenblatt’s article also points out the issue of cultural appropriation that is drastically stirring the melting pot of backlash, including the thoughts of Howard University communications professor Tia C.M. Tyree. “Cultural appropriation is on full display on TikTok and other social media. Black people have always been cultural trendsetters in the United States,” Tyree said in an email. “While sharing and engaging is a central part of social media, one’s art can be shared, manipulated, and lost in the viralness of the culture. This can all happen in minutes, and the original Black creators can be left without credit.” (Rosenblatt). Cultural appropriation is an ongoing issue in social media, and many do not notice or ignore the problem. Platforms should be engaged when there are creators of several cultural backgrounds taking offense to content. Many take aspects of a culture and make it into the “new trend” without crediting those who created it.
In the Highlander News article, “TikTok’s Fashion Trends Are a Gateway for Overconsumption and Cultural Appropriation,” David Moreno gives an example of cultural appropriation on TikTok with the comeback of the Y2K aesthetic. “One of the most popular trends on the platform in the past couple of months has been the revival of the Y2K aesthetic, a fashion movement which pulls inspiration from the early 2000s. Unfortunately, many individuals in this fashion trend overlook this aesthetics’ origins. Many app creators do not realize that the Y2K aesthetic, like many others, was originally pioneered by POC communities. Black women throughout the late ’90s to the early 2000s are credited for creating Y2K fashion. The trend becomes problematic when white content creators’ credit white celebrities like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears for creating the Y2K aesthetic.” (Moreno). People of color constantly fight for respect and acceptance, continuing to struggle with the idea of societal conformity. People of Color love their culture and want it to be admired but respected because that is all we have. The U.S. is known to label ethnicity as a fetish and trend, but it is much deeper than that. People of color for so long, have not been the beauty standard and thrive on their unique culture because it is what makes them beautiful. But for creators to take and change something that has so much power over a community’s identity is disappointing. It is even worse when minorities are degraded for defending their culture and educating the creators of discrediting sources.
In the Shift London article, “The Darker Side of TikTok,” Jade Skinner discusses the “fox eye” trend and how TikTok Creator, Davon Johnson, explains how the trend claimed to be started by model Bella Hadid, is impersonating the eyes of the Asian community. “The fox eye trend circulating on social media is where people use tape, hairstyles, or even shaving their eyebrows, to lift the corner of their eyes, creating an almond shape. But it imitates the shape of the Asian eye — an eye shape many Asians are bullied and mocked for… “Bella Hadid started the fox eye trend and made it trendy nowadays, and, of course, people look up to her and want to try it. But unfortunately, they do not know or understand the problem,” says Johnson.” (Skinner). We are in a culture where many follow the styles in popularity, which is fine but not at the expense of disrespect. The lack of knowledge about a culture and what offends them is simple to access in this age of high technology. Yet repeatedly, creators who are called out for their inappropriate, offensive content seem to not understand their faults or choose to ignore them altogether. The “fox eye” is only one example of a culture or community’s aspects considered a beauty trend. It is this idea of fetishizing a culture but not being willing to educate themselves in the community because it would not fit into their “trend aesthetic.”
Sadly, the “trend-setting” culture goes even further by using a community’s religious and historical practices as a fashion or beauty trend. The Insider article, “South Asian Creators Explain Why a Trend Among White TikTokers to Give Themselves ‘Henna Freckles’ is so Offensive,” by Charissa Cheong, discusses the issues of TikTok creators imitating the plant-based dye tattoos and discrediting and ignoring its origins. “Some South Asian creators on the app have spoken out against the trend, calling it an act of cultural appropriation. While various Middle Eastern, Asian, and African cultures use henna, creators of these cultures argue the trend pushes white, Eurocentric beauty standards that misuse henna and ignore its cultural value.” (Cheong). The “henna freckles” style is an example of creators picking cultural aspects and conforming them to fit their aesthetic. But when they display these trends to the media while other users take part, they only push the acceptance of cultural appropriation. Even more so, ignoring the concerns of these communities’ creators adds further conflict and division.
To make matters worse, the safety hazards that this trend can cause those trying these “freckles” can cause skin damage. “Dermatologists warn that “henna freckles” can cause skin irritation and recommend using natural henna dyes instead of products with chemicals and preservatives, according to the beauty magazine Allure.” (Cheong). There is no trend worth affecting our health; more importantly, proper education on cultural practices is critical to prevent dangerous situations. It is not only about giving cultures the proper credit and understanding but seeing that there is a way to appreciate a community without being offensive. When creators and TikTok ignore this idea, it perpetuates more issues like this, and it will be a continuous cycle of what many call “culture vulture” mentality.
So, who is to blame for these issues of TikTok continuing even after all the backlash the platform receives? It is difficult to say because individual creators should handle their actions. On the other hand, a platform of TikTok’s stature in popularity should cater to all the needs and concerns of users promoting the app. As said previously, several People of color have created trends that brought TikTok on the map, from dance moves to fashion and beauty. So, where is the fight to preserve these creators that keep the platform alive? What will it take to change this outcome? In the Wellesley College of Humanities blog article, “Racism on TikTok: The Appropriation of Black Culture in Digital Spaces,” by Corn Cook et al., gives a perspective on the responsibilities of both the platform and its creators to change the spectrum and treatment of POC creators. “As TikTok’s influence over social trends and norms grows, it is paramount that we reflect on how those trends disenfranchised already marginalized communities. The unaccredited appropriation of AAVE and the de-platforming Black creators who speak up against it cannot continue. By uplifting Black creators and engaging with their concerns, TikTok can move toward representing our society’s most popular art and entertainment rather than the conventions that hold back and even degrade creativity.” (Cook et al.). TikTok profits from the individuality and creativity of many users, especially POC. Therefore, the issue is not only the responsibility of the individuals posting content but the platform supporting creators who call out for respect and recognition. TikTok may lose creators promoting the app as an openly diverse space if they continue to ignore these issues.
TikTok is a platform with much promise and an opportunity to stand out and innovate the social media experience of POC creators. But if the issue of de-platforming and ignoring the concerns of POC communities persists, the platform’s future seems uncertain. Cultures are not beauty and fashion trends; culture defines a community and its individuality. For POC, our culture is all we have because society consistently shows us that we are not acceptable unless we conform. So, when creators take our culture’s uniqueness and turn it to fit their narrative of beauty, it affects our communities. The issue of diversity and acceptance is more than a social media trend. The concept of respecting and being prideful of our culture makes POC communities who they are. So, what is culture worth to you? Is it an aesthetic and something you can profit from, or is it something to respect and value?
Author: Jasmine Boskent
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Works Cited
Cook, Corn et al. “Racism on TikTok: The Appropriation of Black Culture in Digital Spaces”. Wellesley College of Humanities. 15 March 2021. https://blogs.wellesley.edu/whatisracialdifference/2021/03/15/racism-on-tiktok-the-appropriation-of-black-culture-in-digital-spaces/. Accessed 29 July 2022.
Cheong, Charissa. “South Asian Creators Explain Why a Trend Among White TikTokers to Give Themselves “Henna Freckles” is so Offensive”. Insider Inc. 15 May 2022. https://www.insider.com/henna-freckles-tiktok-trend-cultural-appropriation-2022-4. Accessed 29 July 2022.
Moreno, David. “TikTok’s Fashion Trends are a Gateway for Overconsumption and Cultural Appropriation”. The Highlander. 18 Jan. 2022. https://www.highlandernews.org/83624/tiktoks-fashion-trends-are-a-gateway-for-overconsumption-and-cultural-appropriation/. Accessed 29 July 2022.
Rosenblatt, Kalhan. “Months After TikTok Apologized to Black Creators, Many Say Little Has Changed”. NBC News. 9 Feb. 2021. https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/months-after-tiktok-apologized-black-creators-many-say-little-has-n1256726. Accessed 29 July 2022.
Skinner, Jade. “The Darker Side of TikTok”. Shift London. 10 Dec. 2020. https://www.shiftlondon.org/features/the-uneducated-side-of-tik-tok/. Accessed 29 July 2022.
