A few weeks ago, a caucasian girl tweeted prom photos featuring her Chinese dress, called qipao, and her friend group posing in a squat. The online community claimed it was cultural appropriation because she had no Chinese roots; interestingly, many comments from mainland China supported her wearing the outfit because she looked beautiful and showed Chinese culture to the world.
When the Prospector asked McClatchy students if the dress was offensive, the majority said it wasn’t. Students even thought she looked beautiful wearing the dress. Michelle Thao (‘18) believed, “She’s not mocking the culture. She’s showing off her dress.”
Kevin Liang (‘19) also agreed, “She’s wearing it since she likes it. She’s not mocking anything.” The backlash blew out of proportion, according to Haley Rodriguez (‘21): “It was offensive that people said it was offensive.”
However, many students took issue with the group’s pose as racist towards Asians. Sunthi Jong (‘19) said “it shows hypocrisy (for showing love for the culture).” Jong believed that there were different ways to show love for the culture. Tobias Slager (‘20) said the pose was “mimicking a part of a culture in a non-respectful way.”
There were students who said the dress wasn’t offensive but still didn’t support her. With America being a cultural melting pot and with the rise of political correctness, students also believed that she should be more aware of potential backlash. Emily Mitchell (‘19) said “It was stupid (to wear to prom), but I don’t support the backlash.”
Lucy Chin (‘20) also stated “It’s not offensive. But she shouldn’t wear that. It’s not really for prom.”
Students who found the dress itself offensive said the dress was not part of her culture, as she has no Chinese roots. Avellia Ozuna (‘20) said “she doesn’t know much of the culture.” Eden Getahun (‘21) agreed, but added “I personally do find it offensive, but it’s not my place to speak.”
Some students also changed their views after discussing the story. Michelle Hubble (‘20) first said “It’s not okay to do that… It’s traditional dress.” After discussing details of the story, she said it was not offensive.
Overall, the majority of students interviewed did not find the dress offensive, but there was no consensus.
