The internet has been left divided after a young mother questioned whether the name she wanted to choose for her baby would be defined as cultural appropriation.
Cultural appropriation is defined as borrowing or taking from a minority or native culture and its consequences, and as new parents look further for unusual and individual names for their children, discussions about cultural appropriation and baby names have become more frequent. .
In a post that now has over 100 replies, Mumsnet user FoilWrappedBiscuit explained: “We wanted to give our new baby my grandpa’s middle name. My grandpa’s real name is a traditional English name. Think Doris . But since I was a teenager, everyone has known her as another name, a name that is very clearly from another culture. Let’s say Parvati. Everyone knows her as Parvati, her husband, her children , everyone – and has done for 70+ years.”
Mihail Dechev/Liudmila Chernetska/Getty Images
She went on to explain that her grandmother got the name from a movie because she loved the character and thought she was beautiful.
But the Mumsnet user had recently revealed that the character in the film was portrayed by a white actor using brownface.
Brownface is a term used to refer to the practice of wearing makeup to imitate the appearance of a non-white person—usually South Asian or Latin American—as part of a performance.
Considered highly offensive, the practice that was once common in movies and theater is now frowned upon.
“This makes me hesitate,” the poster said. “The name itself is so associated with my grandfather that I would forget my misgivings about giving an English girl an Indian middle name, but this story makes me a little uneasy about my daughter’s name. I’m imagining that she growing up. up, I have to explain her middle name. But I want to honor my grandfather. I thought about just going for Doris, but since no one has called her by that name in over 70 years, it seems utterly pointless. What would you do?”
Author of the 2021 paper “Cultural appropriation: What is it and why does it matter?” and professor at the University of Huddersfield in the United Kingdom, Rina Arya, Ph.D. said Newsweek: “Names, like languages, are sacred; they are linked to identity, and this brings us back to the central issue of cultural appropriation, which is about protecting minority or indigenous cultures.”
However, online, opinions were divided on the choice of name.
Some commentators were quick to oppose the idea. One Mumsnet user wrote: “I wouldn’t… I’d use Doris to honor her because that’s her real name so it’s not a waste,” while another said: “Use another name to honor grandma . It’s not worth it now. .”
But others couldn’t see the harm in using the name and shared their thoughts in the comments.
One user wrote: “I would use the name, people very rarely if ever have to explain their middle name to others. And just because the name is loosely associated with a character in brown doesn’t mean it isn’t there are other connections. — like reminding you of your grandfather.”
Another commenter said: “I think it’s lovely. The point is to carry on a family name rather than ape another culture for the sake of it.”
Newsweek was unable to verify the details of this case.
If you have a similar family dilemma, let us know via [email protected]. We may seek expert advice and your story may appear in Newsweek.
