While music and film frequently reappropriate and repackage ethnic culture into a more mainstream or “Anglo” accessible form, oftentimes it is fashion that most explicitly packages these cultures into a commercially viable product and a safe way of presenting trends previously rebuked.
A major accessory to this crime is the now common and ubiquitous nature of hip-hop culture, a formerly exclusively African-American subculture has grown into an industry of worldwide regard. However, with its expansion, it has seen a large extension through white performers and following the fashion trends associated with it. Sagging pants, chains, snapbacks — all these have become staples of American fashion industry. For now, it is just the “cool thing” to dress in this manner in a way that is now considered more appropriate.
Similarly, this can be found in other notable cultures. Native American vestments are iconically used in a way that derides the culture itself. Native headdresses at Coachella, costumes on Halloween, and even our favorite baseball teams are prone to sport racist caricatures as a means of enticing fans.
The movies too more than just emulate the characteristics of other cultures; the actors themselves portray those of other ethnicities and cultures, much to the dismay of critics and fans worldwide. Matt Damon, for instance, is playing a white savior in the upcoming movie “The Great Wall.” The role would seem fitting for someone of actual Chinese descent, so it is viewed as racist by the majority of critics who see it as an attempt to glorify the idea of an Anglo hero.
So the answer is yes, American pop culture is proud to frequently tout its ideas of Anglo centrism and the superiority of Americanism, which is essentially abandoning distinct ethnic qualities in favor of a white American identity.
