How Taylor Swift’s 2019 Billboard Awards Performance Could’ve Benefited From Cultural Sensitivity
According to Webster Dictionary, cultural appropriation is the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society. After Taylor Swift and Panic! at the Disco's Brendon Urie’s performance of Swift’s latest single “ME!” at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, the term trended on social media, igniting a storm of criticism and for some, fury.
For many, the performance shared an uncanny resemblance to Beyonce’s 2018 Coachella performance, recently released as the Netflix documentary, “Homecoming,” which paid homage to Historically Black Colleges and Black culture. Swift’s inclusion of a marching band, certain aspects of her outfit and even some of her poses during her performance were picked apart by Black Twitter accusing her of being a fraud, for what some described as a blatant rip off Beyonce’s historic performance.
While I don’t believe Swift’s marching band and colorful costumes was intentionally lifted from Beyonce’s performance and subsequent “Homecoming” documentary, it does seem painfully obvious that Swift lacked someone on her team with the wherewithal to flag her performance as potentially problematic. Swift’s oversight not only highlights the importance of ensuring you have a culturally diverse staff with different experiences and perspectives to contribute to the overall creative process, but it also reflects how marginalized voices and experiences are often systematically disregarded and ignored.
Sure, Swift’s performance may have been honoring Beyonce’s work, but she failed to consider how Black audiences would receive her presentation. This lack of awareness is often reflected in brands that create products, messaging and advertisements they assume embrace diverse perspectives, but in reality, it reflects their failure to establish a genuine understanding of the cultures they’re trying to represent, which oftentimes is interpreted as tone deaf or cultural appropriation. Here are some strategies your brand can implement to ensure you don’t make the same mistake as Taylor Swift:
Conduct Inclusive Market Research - Market research provides detailed insights into latest consumer and buying trends, demographics and provides an understanding in the target market’s preferences. Business owners can leverage market research to develop creative efforts that specifically address their audience’s needs, in turn developing a connection with their audiences, instead of offending them.
Consider Culturally Diverse Perspectives and Insight – You don’t know what you don’t know. Maybe Swift had no idea her performance was similar to Beyonce’s Coachella performance, but she surely could’ve benefited from an outside perspective. When creating or launching a product, it is important to not only display knowledge of various cultures and perspectives, but also include those voices on your team.
Hire Inclusive Market Research Group – Inclusive Market Research Group assists brands with gathering information about diverse audiences and consumers to craft and develop products and messaging that incorporate their unique experiences. Our goal is to ensure brands can use research to create a memorable and personal experience for their consumers, while highlighting knowledge and sensitivity of issues impacting various communities. For more information visit www.inclusivemarketresearchgroup.com.
