Cultural appropriation used in modern television, film, magazines, advertisement and other platforms, as described by Sturken and Cartwright (2009) is the continuing phenomenon of “‘borrowing’ and changing the meaning of cultural products, slogans, images, or elements of fashion” (p. 83). This borrowing or changing of meanings in already-established cultural entities can be used for a variety of reasons however it can be assumed that the individuals appropriating particular text, art, or imagery have an intent. Whether this intent is to manipulate, convince, or provoke thought, cultural appropriation has proven to be a useful method to convey a message to an audience.
One specific instance of cultural appropriation that fueled controversy was the cover of Newsweek Magazine back in November of 2010. The image depicted on the cover was a computer edited picture of President Barack Obama with multiple arms and balancing on one leg; an undeniable resemblance to the Hindu God known as Lord Shiva.
Lord Shiva is known as “the most powerful god of the Hindu pantheon and one of the godheads in the Hindu Trinity” (Das, 2015). It is also important to note that in the Hindu religion Shiva is also known as “the destroyer of the world” (“Newsweek Depiction of Obama as Lord Shiva…,” 2010). In various paintings and sculptures depicting Lord Shiva, it is not rare to see her posed on one leg, the other crossing her body, and her multiple arms spread open. As the Lord Shiva is depicted in this position, it is known as the cosmic dance or “‘Anandatandava,’ meaning the Dance of Bliss, [symbolizing] the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction” (Das, 2015). These images of Lord Shiva were known to represent the five principle manifestations of eternal energy “- creation, destruction, preservation, salvation, and illusion” (Das, 2015).
In November of 2010 when an image President Obama was depicted just the same as the Hindu God on the cover of Newsweek Magazine, it goes without saying that many American-Indians were extremely insulted however we are not going to focus on the backlash of the Hindu population but rather the use of cultural appropriation that went into the creation of this image. Similar to how Lord Shiva is presented during her cosmic dance, President Obama is presented in the same position. In front of Obama reads the news story headline: “God of All Things.” Within the magazine, the subheading of the referenced article is subtitled, “Why the Modern Presidency May be too Much for One Person to Handle.” It seems that the creator of this cultural appropriation had changed the meaning of the referenced image completely. Contrary to the meanings of the original image of Shiva, the graphic of Obama is meant to depict the many responsibilities of the modern day president. Shown with multiple arms, this image theoretically demonstrates that it would only be possible to successfully hold such responsibility if one had multiple arms. Displayed on one leg, this meaning and can pushed further as if to say, even if Obama had multiple arms, it would still be hard to skillfully balance all of these responsibilities.
Although the creator of the 2010 Newsweek Magazine had completely changed and created its own meaning, it is still important to point out that this is still an example of cultural appropriation. Whether this appropriation was to catch the eye of passersby or an attempted to increase sales of the magazine, just the position that President Obama is depicted in reference to Hindu God Shiva dancing the ‘Anandatandava,’ or cosmic dance, is appropriation because it borrows and changes the meaning of an already-established cultural image.
Cartwright, L., & Sturken, M. (2009). Practices of looking: an introduction to visual culture. New York, NY: Oxford University Press Inc.
Das, S. (2015). Lord Shiva. Retrieved September 11, 2015, from http://hinduism.about.com/od/lordshiva/p/shiva.htm
Newsweek Depiction of Obama as Lord Shiva Upsets Some Indian-Americans. (2010, November 21). Retrieved September 11, 2015, from http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/11/21/newsweek-depiction-obama-lord-shiva-upsets-indians/
Colin Mallory 