Cultural appreciation is defined a the adoption of aspects of a minority culture without paying proper respects. Cultural appreciation, on the other hand, is the participation in certain aspects of a culture while honoring the source—the culture/ group from which they came. Questions regarding cultural appropriation arose when Katy Perry opened the American Music Awards in 2013 with a Japanese culture inspired theme. She and her her dancers—very few of them Asian—sported kimonos and continuously bowed throughout the performance. Perry essentially used the culture as a costume, which deems it cultural appropriation; she attempted to channel the persona of an Asian woman, only to abandon it when she takes her costume off. Although this performance was obviously problematic, people jumped to Perry’s defense, concluding she was only trying to appreciate and honor the culture. They refused to consider the idea that she was portraying Japanese women—or Asian American women in general—as submissive and delicate with the way she moves across the stage. She also sexualizes the traditional dress, cutting the slit higher than it should have. This alteration of the kimono is inherently disrespectful and symbolizes Caucasian Americans’ constant attempt to Americanize other world cultures.