News of the Utah teen who triggered leftists with her traditional Chinese prom dress has reached China and the people have spoken.
“It is not cultural theft,” one internet user in mainland China wrote, supporting the 18-year-old’s fashion choice. “It is cultural appreciation and cultural respect.”
“Culture has no borders,” one Weibo user wrote, according to the South China Morning Post. “There is no problem, as long as there is no malice or deliberate maligning. Chinese cultural treasures are worth spreading all over the world.”
Keziah Daum was attacked for “cultural appropriation” after innocently posting photos of herself in a beautiful qipao style dress that she wore to her prom last week. A tweet by an overly-triggered Jeremy Lam set off the backlash as SJW’s slammed Daum for daring to wear the traditional Chinese qipao, or cheongsam.
The story of the Chinese prom dress worn by @daumkeziah that angered a mob of American online activists has reached China. The South China Morning Post reports on how the high schooler is receiving outpouring of support there. https://t.co/mrjcPK1vhC
— Andy C. Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) May 2, 2018
The 18-year-old from Utah did not bow down to critics and did not delete her original April 22 post featuring photos of the red dress embroidered with gold and black. She told the South China Morning Post the gown presented a “wonderful message.”
Daum explained that she “simply found a beautiful, modest gown and chose to wear it,” not realizing its history before buying it at a vintage shop in Salt Lake City.
“Very elegant and beautiful! Really don’t understand the people who are against her, they are wrong!” one comment on an article by Wenxue City News read. “I suggest the Chinese government, state television or fashion company invite her to China to display her cheongsam!”
“The dress symbolised a silent protest to promote gender equality after the fall of the dynasties and the beginning of the republican period in the early 1900s, and was worn during the 1919 reformist May Fourth Movement,” according to the South China Morning Post.
“One person commented it represented female empowerment,” Daum wrote in an email to the publication. “If that is the case, then it is a wonderful message for any young woman my age to learn, regardless of culture and background.
Daum admitted she “never imagined it would go so far,” but refused to take her tweet down.
“I am sorry if anyone was offended. That was never my intention. I am grateful I was able to wear such a beautiful dress,” she wrote.
Liberal author and political analyst Cathy Areu criticized the teen for “exploiting” the Chinese culture by simply wearing the beautiful dress.
“What she did is almost like an exploitation of a culture. She’s exploiting it. It’s appropriation because she is taking advantage of a culture she doesn’t really know much about,” the publisher of Catalina magazine told Tucker Carlson on Fox News Channel’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Tuesday.
“She has no idea what this dress meant or what it’s about and she didn’t even appreciate it,” Areu complained. “One of her comments was it’s just a f-ing dress. This is a culture. She borrowed a culture and she cared so little to appreciate it.”
Areu continued her liberal mantra by condemning one of Daum’s photos for a pose that is trendy with teens but Areu said were “poses that I think she thought were Asian poses.”
She further debated the differences between assimilation and appropriation, outrageously accusing the teen of attempting to use the photos to “get as much fame and publicity out of it as she could.”
“When she put on that dress she hurt and offended others and that’s what happened,” she announced, to which Carlson quipped, “Maybe she should go to prison.”
The high school senior was right to stand her ground and the people of China, and others overseas, gave her an outpouring of support. Video blogger Winston Sterzel offered a more in-depth look at the “nonsense” of the alleged cultural appropriation in a video he posted to YouTube.
And the streets of China too https://t.co/7sQ3X5zmuF
— Winston Sterzel (@serpentza) May 2, 2018
I’m Chinese from Hong Kong and I think she looks absolutely gorgeous.
— Carl Yuan (@steppermc) May 2, 2018
I’m Indonesian from Indonesia and I also think she looks gorgeous.
— Bagas (@sagabps) May 2, 2018
Asians who actually grew up in and live in Asia will tell you that you did nothing wrong, @daumkeziah. We dress up in other culture’s costumes all the time – Vietnamese, Malay, Indian etc. That guy is probably just starting to learn about his identity and that’s pretty sad.
— Dawn Jeremiah (@DawnJeremiah) May 2, 2018
I showed my grandmother from China the picture and she thought it was lovely! ???? I can’t believe how offended our generation gets over shit that isn’t even their culture.. makes me sad, keep up the good fight! You have done nothing to deserve the hate.
— Elliott Grossman (@GrossmanElliott) May 2, 2018
My friends around saw her pictures and they all said she was beautiful. I am a Chinese, some people like Chinese culture is an honor for us. This has nothing to do with racism and there is no malicious cultural appropriation.
总之，她穿着很漂亮，我很喜欢！— Yoyo Wong (@YoyoWong0116) May 2, 2018
As someone from China, I’m glad people are appreciating the beauty of our culture and you look beautiful! Some Asian Americans need to take a chill pill
— 马丁MARTIIIN (@MARTIII94772887) May 2, 2018
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Frieda@bizpacreview.com
Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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