15 Celebrities Who Have Been Accused of ‘Cultural Appropriation,’ From Katy Perry to Zac Efron (Photos)

Merriam Webster says that to “appropriate” something means “to take or make use of without authority or right.” Cultural appropriation then is when a dominant race adopts the culture of a minority. This could include everything from fashion, religion, music or language, and it becomes an issue when the dominant race borrows these things without sensitivity to what these cultural symbols represent. In Hollywood, this has sparked an ongoing debate in which artists walk the line between what’s considered a respectful gesture of celebrating other cultures and what’s considered simply theft or offensive. These celebs have all caught heat for their artistic or fashion choices, and many of them have walked back those decisions.