Give credit where credit is due It’s time to acknowledge the roots of trends

By Rori Anderson

One social media post can start a trend that spreads to millions within hours. While this instant dissemination of content can connect people and ignite careers, it often benefits the wrong people. Many white influencers take credit for starting a trend when in actuality, the trend was created by a creator of color or based on a cultural practice. This pattern is harmful and racist; to mitigate this cycle, audiences need to be more aware of the content they are consuming.

The New York Times identified cultural appropriation as “one of the most misunderstood and abused phrases of our tortured age.” They defined appropriation as “the notion of adapting something so it is particular to oneself, so that it no longer belongs to or is true to the character of the original source.” Many of these popular social media trends have been taken from the culture they originated in, thus underscoring their meaning, significance and history.

Many confuse cultural appropriation with cultural appreciation; however, appreciation can only occur when credit to the creator is given, and the origins and history are fully understood. Appropriation takes without credit, and people on social media often do not understand these key differences.

A popular example is Hailey Bieber’s selfproclaimed “brownie-glazed lips,” or simply brown lip liner and lip gloss. Unbeknownst to many of Bieber’s followers, communities of color had been doing this look for ages. In response to this, TikToker Taija Reed posted a video saying, “When black and brown people do it, it’s called ghetto,” and then noted the mass amount of praise Bieber has received for “discovering” this lip look. Reed’s comparison of these reactions shows the racism, external and internal, of media and society; anyone who donned “brownie-glazed lips” and credited Bieber is a contributor to this, regardless of their awareness.

never give credit to those who started trends when following them. And even if students give credit to those who they believe started the trend, they may not always be correct; hence, contributing to a cycle of misdirected credit. Looking into trends and finding background is really very simple. For example, content creator Charli D’Amelio became famous for the Renegade dance, a popular social media dance to the song “Lottery” by K Camp. When she first posted on TikTok, she could not have expected the fame she received — but nonetheless, she got it.