Cultural appropriation is about power, not about sharing. When members of a dominant group take styles, symbols or practices from a marginalized group, they often gain credit, money or praise for things the original community was punished for. Black women have faced discipline at school and work for braids and locs that are then praised as fashion on white celebrities.
The pattern runs through US history. White performers built careers on Black music, from minstrel shows to early rock and roll, while Black artists were shut out of radio and paid less. Sacred items such as Native headdresses are sold as costumes, and Congress passed the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 to stop non-Native goods being sold as Native-made.
Cultural exchange happens when there is respect, credit and consent, and when the source community benefits. Appropriation strips context and meaning. Laws like the CROWN Act, first passed in California in 2019, address the double standard by banning discrimination based on natural hair.