Appropriation of Minority Art
Reading through Maureen Mahon's piece on "Big Mama" Thornton, I was surprised to find out that 'Hound Dog' was not an Elvis Presley original and that he in fact took large parts of his style from Thornton. As my mom's daughter, I grew up listening to Elvis and even once dressed up as Elvis for Halloween. To learn that he appropriated the work of a black woman without any recognition of her talent was disappointing. "Presley's sexy masculinity comes into being in part as he draws from Thornton's confrontational black femininity" (p.10). However, when I think of present day there's plenty of white artists who appropriate various cultures for profit. I'm reminded of Ariana Grande, and the way she maintains racial ambiguity to be perceived as a person of color. Grande's music video for '7 Rings' is a great example of this, in which many of the scenes are reminiscent of the work of various black hip hop & rap artists. Taylor Swift also participates in this appropriation of black culture, as can be seen in her music video for 'Shake it Off', in her large gold hoops, cheetah print zip-up, and frames of black women twerking. White appropriation continues today as popular artists profit off of black culture in their performances and productions. If this continues in 2020, I don't know why I was surprised by it's occurrence in the 1960s. This is why projects like "Women Who Rock" is so important. Through this project we are able to recognize and uplift female and POC artists. Through the Women Who Rock Archive, they are able to document the work of minority artists that could otherwise be erased and denied credit, similar to what happened to Thornton. As stated by Alicia Velasquez from Women Who Rock, “Unless you document your work, it’s as though it never existed.” Through this project we are able to ensure that the incredible contributions women of color add to the music world are recognized throughout time.
Ariana Grande, 7 rings - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYh6mYIJG2Y
Taylor Swift, Shake it Off - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfWlot6h_JM
Reading through Maureen Mahon's piece on "Big Mama" Thornton, I was surprised to find out that 'Hound Dog' was not an Elvis Presley original and that he in fact took large parts of his style from Thornton. As my mom's daughter, I grew up listening to Elvis and even once dressed up as Elvis for Halloween. To learn that he appropriated the work of a black woman without any recognition of her talent was disappointing. "Presley's sexy masculinity comes into being in part as he draws from Thornton's confrontational black femininity" (p.10). However, when I think of present day there's plenty of white artists who appropriate various cultures for profit. I'm reminded of Ariana Grande, and the way she maintains racial ambiguity to be perceived as a person of color. Grande's music video for '7 Rings' is a great example of this, in which many of the scenes are reminiscent of the work of various black hip hop & rap artists. Taylor Swift also participates in this appropriation of black culture, as can be seen in her music video for 'Shake it Off', in her large gold hoops, cheetah print zip-up, and frames of black women twerking. White appropriation continues today as popular artists profit off of black culture in their performances and productions. If this continues in 2020, I don't know why I was surprised by it's occurrence in the 1960s. This is why projects like "Women Who Rock" is so important. Through this project we are able to recognize and uplift female and POC artists. Through the Women Who Rock Archive, they are able to document the work of minority artists that could otherwise be erased and denied credit, similar to what happened to Thornton. As stated by Alicia Velasquez from Women Who Rock, “Unless you document your work, it’s as though it never existed.” Through this project we are able to ensure that the incredible contributions women of color add to the music world are recognized throughout time.
Ariana Grande, 7 rings - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYh6mYIJG2Y
Taylor Swift, Shake it Off - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfWlot6h_JM
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