Recently on my twitter there has been a heated discussion between fans of the band 5 Seconds of Summer (myself included). The topic: is a tattoo of one of the band members culturally appropriative?

Only a teenage boy, one of the band members, Calum Hood, has a tattoo of a Native Indian chief on his arm. Although he himself is a native of New Zealand, the tattoo does not represent his own culture. Especially known for being...impulsive...he simply got the tattoo because he liked the artwork and the artist. Is this a problem?

As a minority myself, I understand how some forms of "cultural appropriation" can be hurtful. For example, being called ghetto for wearing braids by the same people who praise Kylie Jenner for creating a stylish new hair trend (braids) is terrible, and it's just plain racist no matter how you spin it. But I use quotes around the words "cultural appropriation" because, in my opinion, this is something that doesn't truly exist.

This is the year 2014! We live in an age where we are more educated about other cultures than we've ever been before. As humans, we must have always known that there would come a point when we could no longer claim a culture as only ours. Who are we to decide exactly WHO is allowed to copy exactly WHICH PARTS of certain cultures?! Who are we to say people can do yoga but can't wear a bindi? Who are we to say people can eat Chinese food but can't get yin yang tattoos? Who are we to say, "You can listen to our music, and buy our music, but you can't participate in our music"? Why must I be afraid to find parts of another culture beautiful?

I understand, there must be a line, somewhere, that can't be crossed, but who gets to draw that line? Who gets to decide the difference between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation? The way I see it, there are larger forms of racism/homophobia/hatred of any kind. Why would I be insulted by someone who clearly loves and admires my culture? Especially when it's just a tattoo.