Cultural Appropriation and Loss of Cultural Identity Cultural Ideologies

In this study, I will focus on the appropriation of hairstyling as impacted by globalisation. The significance and notions of hair in relation to ethnic and cultural identity will also be explored. Globalisation makes the world a single place (Tomlinson, 1999, p.30.). This means that there are no variations in people’s cultures, social, and economic life. In modern-day multicultural society, people use different symbols, idols, and embodiments as a form of representation. In the past times, people from different cultures used certain symbols to identify themselves, and symbols, as well as embodiments, were prominent in all aspects. For instance, people would use hairstyles to identify themselves as citizens of a culture or society. This was evident in Chinese, African, Indian, Native American and other cultures of the world. Hairstyles and hair adornments were used as a status symbol within cultures. Moreover, they distinguished people of a given culture from other people. However, with the advent of globalization, similar hairstyles are adopted all over the world. Hence they cannot be used as a criterion to distinguish individuals of a particular culture. The symbols in use to describe people of a given area are social movements, signs, and migrations. This in itself will signal the extinction of cultures of people and their identity because things like social movements are in demand globally. Globalization refers to the name for the process of rising connectivity and interdependence of the world’s businesses and markets.