The Reading / Listening - Cultural Appropriation - Level 6

Kim Kardashian West has angered people in Japan after launching a new line of lingerie called 'Kimono Intimates'. People in Japan have reacted with anger and have accused Kardashian of cultural appropriation. They say the lingerie greatly disrespects Japanese culture. The kimono is an iconic symbol in Japan and is considered the country's national dress. It is an exquisitely decorated, long-sleeved robe tied with an ornate sash. It is usually made of silk and is worn on special occasions. A Japanese woman explained to the BBC: "We wear kimonos to celebrate health, growth of children, engagements, marriages, graduations, at funerals. It's celebratory wear and passed on in families through the generations."

There has been a lot of backlash against Kardashian West on social media. Apart from the lingerie having no resemblance to real kimono or anything Japanese, the American socialite is also trying to trademark kimono-worded brands. She has filed trademarks for "Kimono Body", "Kimono Intimates" and "Kimono World". One Twitter user wrote: "What a disgusting thing to use the word 'kimono'. It's disrespectful to Japanese culture. True cultural appropriation." Another person tweeted: "I feel very sad that the name 'Kimono' is being used for something completely different from what we Japanese know about it. I feel this name choice is simply ignorant." She ended her tweet with #KimOhNo.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Cultural Appropriation - Level 4  or  Cultural Appropriation - Level 5

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48767678
  • https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3016135/kim-kardashians-kimohno-provokes-social-media-stir-and
  • https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/kim-kardashian-kimono-intl-scli/index.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Warm-ups

1. KIMONOS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about kimonos. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       anger / lingerie / Japan / kimono / cultural appropriation / silk / marriages / health /
       backlash / social media / socialite / trademark / disrespect / culture / choice / ignorant
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. CULTURAL APPROPRIATION: Students A strongly believe the word "kimono" belongs to Japan and should not be used to sell lingerie; Students B strongly believe anyone can use the word "kimono".  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. JAPAN: What do you know about these Japanese things? How unique are they? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What You Know

Uniqueness

Kimono

 

 

Manga

 

 

Sushi

 

 

Mount Fuji

 

 

Pokemon

 

 

Bullet train

 

 

MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. ANGER: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "anger". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. JAPAN: Rank these with your partner. Put the best Japanese things at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • anime
  • geisha
  • kabuki
  • karate
  • kimono
  • samurai
  • cherry blossom
  • sake

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. launching a. Responded or behaved in a particular way in response to something.
      2. generation b. In an extremely beautiful and delicate manner.
      3. reacted c. An act of introducing a new product or publication to the public.
      4. cultural appropriation d. A set of members of a family regarded as a single step or stage in descent, from children to parents to grandparents to great-grandparents, etc.
      5. iconic e. The action of taking something from a culture other than one's own and exploiting it for personal pleasure or financial gain.
      6. exquisitely f. Relating to a person or thing being regarded as a representative symbol of something.
      7. ornate g. Made in an intricate shape or decorated with complex patterns.

    Paragraph 2

      8. backlash h. A symbol, word, or words legally registered or established by use as representing a company or product.
      9. resemblance i. A strong and adverse reaction by a large number of people, especially to a social or political development.
      10. socialite j. Submitted a legal document or application to be placed on record by the appropriate authority.
      11. filed k. Arousing hate or strong dislike and annoyance.
      12. trademark l. The state of looking alike or being alike.
      13. disgusting m. Lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated or unsophisticated.
      14. ignorant n. A person who is well known in fashionable society and is fond of social activities and entertainment.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. Japanese people are angry at a lingerie brand called "Kimono Lingerie".   T / F
  2. Kardashian West accused Japanese people of cultural appropriation.     T / F
  3. The kimono is tied using an ornate sash.     T / F
  4. Kimonos are used to celebrate the growth of children.     T / F
  5. There has been little backlash against Kardashian West.     T / F
  6. Kardashian West is trying to trademark brands with the word "kimono".   T / F
  7. A person said she was sad about how the word "kimono" is being used.   T / F
  8. Someone said the use of the word "kimono" was not ignorance.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. angered
  2. reacted
  3. symbol
  4. exquisitely
  5. passed
  6. backlash
  7. resemblance
  8. disgusting
  9. completely
  10. ignorant
  1. handed
  2. beautifully
  3. totally
  4. revolting
  5. responded
  6. uneducated
  7. adverse reaction
  8. infuriated
  9. likeness
  10. emblem

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. Kim Kardashian West has angered
  2. launching a new
  3. They say the lingerie greatly
  4. It is an exquisitely decorated, long-
  5. It is usually made of silk and is worn
  6. There has been a lot of backlash
  7. having no resemblance
  8. She has filed
  9. completely different from what we
  10. I feel this name choice is
  1. disrespects Japanese culture
  2. Japanese know about
  3. on special occasions
  4. against Kardashian
  5. line of lingerie
  6. trademarks
  7. simply ignorant
  8. people in Japan
  9. sleeved robe
  10. to real kimono

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
greatly
exquisitely
graduations
launching
generations
reacted
symbol
silk

Kim Kardashian West has angered people in Japan after (1) ____________ a new line of lingerie called 'Kimono Intimates'. People in Japan have (2) ____________ with anger and have accused Kardashian of cultural appropriation. They say the lingerie (3) ____________ disrespects Japanese culture. The kimono is an iconic (4) ____________ in Japan and is considered the country's national dress. It is an (5) ____________ decorated, long-sleeved robe tied with an ornate sash. It is usually made of (6) ____________ and is worn on special occasions. A Japanese woman explained to the BBC: "We wear kimonos to celebrate health, growth of children, engagements, marriages, (7) ____________, at funerals. It's celebratory wear and passed on in families through the (8) ____________."

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
trademark
resemblance
completely
disgusting
backlash
simply
socialite
filed

There has been a lot of (9) ____________ against Kardashian West on social media. Apart from the lingerie having no (10) ____________ to real kimono or anything Japanese, the American (11) ____________ is also trying to (12) ____________ kimono-worded brands. She has (13) ____________ trademarks for "Kimono Body", "Kimono Intimates" and "Kimono World". One Twitter user wrote: "What a (14) ____________ thing to use the word 'kimono'. It's disrespectful to Japanese culture. True cultural appropriation." Another person tweeted: "I feel very sad that the name 'Kimono' is being used for something (15) ____________ different from what we Japanese know about it. I feel this name choice is (16) ____________ ignorant." She ended her tweet with #KimOhNo.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  People in Japan have reacted with anger and have accused Kardashian ______
     a.  off cultural appropriation
     b.  on cultural appropriation
     c.  of cultural appropriation
     d.  at cultural appropriation
2)  The kimono is an iconic symbol in Japan and is considered the country's ______
     a.  nationally dressy
     b.  national dress
     c.  national dressed
     d.  nationals dressed
3)  It is an exquisitely decorated, long-sleeved robe tied with ______
     a.  an ornament slash
     b.  an or natal slash
     c.  an urn ate sash
     d.  an ornate sash
4)  growth of children, engagements, marriages, graduations, ______
     a.  at funereal
     b.  at few neural
     c.  after unreal
     d.  at funerals
5)  It's celebratory wear and passed on in families ______
     a.  through the generations
     b.  threw the generations
     c.  though the generations
     d.  trough the generations

6)  There has been a lot of ______ Kardashian
     a.  backlash against
     b.  whiplash against
     c.  eyelash against
     d.  goulash against
7)  Apart from the lingerie having no ______ real kimono
     a.  rhythm balance to
     b.  resend balance to
     c.  resemblance to
     d.  resemble ants to
8)  the American socialite is also trying to trademark ______
     a.  kimono-wordy brands
     b.  kimono-worded brands
     c.  kimono-word it brands
     d.  kimono-whirr did brands
9)  a disgusting thing to use the word 'kimono'. It's ______ Japanese culture
     a.  disrespectfully to
     b.  disrespect full to
     c.  disrespectful to
     d.  this respectfully to
10)  I feel this name choice is ______
     a.  simply ignorantly
     b.  sim plea ignorant
     c.  thimble ignorant
     d.  simply ignorant

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Kim Kardashian West (1) ___________________ in Japan after launching a new line of lingerie called 'Kimono Intimates'. People in Japan have reacted with anger (2) ___________________ Kardashian of cultural appropriation. They say the lingerie greatly disrespects Japanese culture. The kimono is an (3) ___________________ Japan and is considered the country's national dress. It is (4) ___________________, long-sleeved robe tied with an ornate sash. It is usually made of silk and is worn (5) ___________________. A Japanese woman explained to the BBC: "We wear kimonos to celebrate health, growth of children, engagements, marriages, graduations, at funerals. It's celebratory wear and passed on in families (6) ___________________."

There has been a (7) ___________________ against Kardashian West on social media. Apart from the lingerie having (8) ___________________ real kimono or anything Japanese, the American socialite is also trying to trademark kimono-worded brands. She (9) ___________________ for "Kimono Body", "Kimono Intimates" and "Kimono World". One Twitter user wrote: "What a disgusting thing to use the word 'kimono'. (10) ___________________ Japanese culture. True cultural appropriation." Another person tweeted: "I feel very sad that the name 'Kimono' is being used (11) ___________________ different from what we Japanese know about it. I feel this name choice (12) ___________________. She ended her tweet with #KimOhNo.

Comprehension questions

  1. What did Kim Kardashian West's call her lingerie brand?
  2. What kind of symbol did the article call the kimono?
  3. What did the article say a kimono is tied with?
  4. What are kimonos worn to celebrate the growth of?
  5. Who did someone say kimonos were passed on through?
  6. Where has there been a lot of backlash against Kim Kardashian West?
  7. What did the article say the lingerie had no resemblance to?
  8. What has Kim Kardashian West filed for?
  9. How did a Twitter user say they felt about the use of the word "kimono"?
  10. What hashtag did a Twitter user use to describe this situation?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What did Kim Kardashian West's call her lingerie brand?
a) 'Kimono Wear
b) 'Under Kimono'
c) 'Kimono Intimates'
d) 'Kim Kimono'
2) What kind of symbol did the article call the kimono?
a) an iconic symbol
b) a good symbol
c) a famous symbol
d) a global symbol
3) What did the article say a kimono is tied with?
a) a sash
b) a silk rope
c) a soft bamboo belt
d) cotton cloth
4) What are kimonos worn to celebrate the growth of?
a) society
b) children
c) fashion
d) silk
5) Who did someone say kimonos were passed on through?
a) village halls
b) museums
c) charity stores
d) the generations

6) Where has there been a lot of backlash against Kim Kardashian West?
a) in the USA
b) on social media
c) in Kyoto
d) in the newspapers
7) What did the article say the lingerie had no resemblance to?
a) real kimonos
b) real life
c) real lingerie
d) reality
8) What has Kim Kardashian West filed for?
a) a petition
b) a logo
c) trademarks
d) a folder
9) How did a Twitter user say they felt about the use of the word "kimono"?
a) proud
b) hopeful
c) excited
d) sad
10) What hashtag did a Twitter user use to describe this situation?
a) #KimOhNo
b) #OhNoKim
c) #KimoNo
d) #KimKimono

Role play

Role  A – Kimonos
You think kimonos are the best thing about Japan. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as interesting. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): samurai, cherry blossoms or sake.

Role  B – Samurai
You think samurai are the best thing about Japan. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as interesting. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): kimono, cherry blossoms or sake.

Role  C – Cherry Blossom
You think cherry blossoms are the best things about Japan. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as interesting. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): samurai, kimono or sake.

Role  D – Sake
You think sake is the best thing about Japan. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as interesting. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): samurai, cherry blossoms or kimono.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'culture'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • and 'kimono'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • • Share your findings with your partners.

    • Make questions using the words you found.

    • Ask your partner / group your questions.

    2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

    •Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

    3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

    4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

    5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

    • lot
    • apart
    • filed
    • word
    • completely
    • tweet
    • after
    • greatly
    • national
    • special
    • growth
    • passed

    Student survey

    Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

    (Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

    Discussion - Kim Kardashian West angers Japan over 'kimono'

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'culture'?
    3. What do you know about Kim Kardashian West?
    4. What do you know about kimonos?
    5. Should a lingerie manufacturer use the word 'kimono' as its name?
    6. What do you think of kimonos?
    7. Does the word 'kimono' belong only to Japanese culture?
    8. Will search engines put the kimono lingerie at number one in searches?
    9. Why do you think Kim Kardashian West chose the word 'kimono'?
    10. What advice do you have for Kim Kardashian West?

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'kimono'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. Do you understand the backlash from Japanese people?
    5. Is this definite cultural appropriation?
    6. What can we do about cultural appropriation?
    7. How do you think Kim Kardashian West would defend this?
    8. Should Kim Kardashian West apologize to Japan?
    9. What do you think of the hashtag KimOhNo?
    10. What questions would you like to ask Kim Kardashian West?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    Kim Kardashian West has (1) _____ people in Japan after launching a new line of lingerie called 'Kimono Intimates'. People in Japan have (2) _____ with anger and have accused Kardashian of cultural appropriation. They say the lingerie (3) _____ disrespects Japanese culture. The kimono is an iconic symbol in Japan and is considered the country's national dress. It is an (4) _____ decorated, long-sleeved robe tied with an ornate sash. It is usually made of silk and is (5) _____ on special occasions. A Japanese woman explained to the BBC: "We wear kimonos to celebrate health, growth of children, engagements, marriages, graduations, at funerals. It's (6) _____ wear and passed on in families through the generations."

    There has been a lot of backlash against Kardashian West on social media. Apart from the lingerie having no (7) _____ to real kimono or anything Japanese, the American socialite is also trying to trademark kimono-worded brands. She has (8) _____ trademarks for "Kimono Body", "Kimono Intimates" and "Kimono World". One Twitter user wrote: "What a (9) _____ thing to use the word 'kimono'. It's disrespectful (10) _____ Japanese culture. True cultural appropriation." Another person tweeted: "I feel very sad that the name 'Kimono' is (11) _____ used for something completely different from what we Japanese know about it. I feel this name choice is (12) _____ ignorant." She ended her tweet with #KimOhNo.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     angrily     (b)     anger     (c)     angers     (d)     angered    
    2. (a)     reaction     (b)     react     (c)     reactive     (d)     reacted    
    3. (a)     grated     (b)     greatly     (c)     grating     (d)     greaten    
    4. (a)     acquisition     (b)     executive     (c)     exquisitely     (d)     acquaintance    
    5. (a)     worn     (b)     wears     (c)     wearing     (d)     wear    
    6. (a)     celebratory     (b)     cerebral     (c)     celestial     (d)     celibacy    
    7. (a)     remonstrate     (b)     recompense     (c)     remembrance     (d)     resemblance    
    8. (a)     filed     (b)     flied     (c)     fled     (d)     flooded    
    9. (a)     disguising     (b)     disgusting     (c)     disgruntled     (d)     disgorging    
    10. (a)     at     (b)     in     (c)     to     (d)     by    
    11. (a)     been     (b)     be     (c)     being     (d)     bee    
    12. (a)     ally     (b)     simply     (c)     ply     (d)     amply

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. launching a new line of eginerli
    2. stlxuiieeqy decorated
    3. tied with an oenrat sash
    4. worn on special ocissnoac
    5. engagements, marriages, adraniostgu
    6. through the ieeongsnatr

    Paragraph 2

    1. a lot of shclkaab against Kardashian
    2. no lnecbeemars to real kimono
    3. the American olitacsie
    4. a tdgsgsuiin thing
    5. It's ideetcpsrsluf to Japanese culture
    6. this name choice is simply otnrigan

    Put the text back together

    (...)  of lingerie called 'Kimono Intimates'. People in Japan have reacted with anger and have accused
    (...)  to Japanese culture. True cultural appropriation." Another person tweeted: "I feel very
    (...)  and "Kimono World". One Twitter user wrote: "What a disgusting thing to use the word 'kimono'. It's disrespectful
    (...)  culture. The kimono is an iconic symbol in Japan and is considered the country's national dress. It is an exquisitely
    (...)  to real kimono or anything Japanese, the American socialite is also trying to trademark
    (...)  decorated, long-sleeved robe tied with an ornate sash. It is usually made of silk and is worn on special
    (...)  There has been a lot of backlash against Kardashian West on social media. Apart from the lingerie having no resemblance
    (...)  from what we Japanese know about it. I feel this name choice is simply ignorant." She ended her tweet with #KimOhNo.
    (.1.) Kim Kardashian West has angered people in Japan after launching a new line
    (...)  of children, engagements, marriages, graduations, at funerals. It's celebratory wear and passed on in families through the generations."
    (...)  sad that the name 'Kimono' is being used for something completely different
    (...)  kimono-worded brands. She has filed trademarks for "Kimono Body", "Kimono Intimates"
    (...)  occasions. A Japanese woman explained to the BBC: "We wear kimonos to celebrate health, growth
    (...)  Kardashian of cultural appropriation. They say the lingerie greatly disrespects Japanese

    Put the words in the right order

    1. 'Kimono   new   lingerie   A   called   Intimates'   .   line   of
    2. the   culture   .   disrespects   Japanese   greatly   say   lingerie   They
    3. Japan   .   symbol   iconic   an   in   kimono   is   The
    4. with   A   sash   .   long-sleeved   tied   an   ornate   robe
    5. the   passed   in   It's   generations   .   through   families   on
    6. backlash   lot   of   been   Kardashian   against   a   There's
    7. real   has   no   lingerie   The   resemblance   to   kimono   .
    8. 'kimono'   .   the   use   disgusting   word   to   thing   A
    9. from   different   know   what   about   Completely   it   .   we
    10. is   choice   name   this   feel   simply   I   ignorant   .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    Kim Kardashian West has angrily / angered people in Japan after launching a new line of lingerie called 'Kimono Intimates'. People in Japan have reacted / reaction with anger and have accused Kardashian of cultural appropriation. They say the lingerie gratingly / greatly disrespects Japanese culture. The kimono is an iconic symbol / symbolic in Japan and is considered / considerate the country's national dress. It is an exquisite / exquisitely decorated, long-sleeved robe tied with an ornate / emanate sash. It is usually made of silk and is worn on specially / special occasions. A Japanese woman explained to the BBC: "We wear kimonos to celebrate health, grown / growth of children, engagements, marriages, graduations, at funerals. It's celebratory wear and passed on in families through the generation / generations."

    There has been a lot of whiplash / backlash against Kardashian West on social media. Apart for / from the lingerie having no remembrance / resemblance to real kimono or anything Japanese, the American social / socialite is also trying to trademark kimono-worded brands. She has flied / filed trademarks for "Kimono Body", "Kimono Intimates" and "Kimono World". One Twitter user wrote: "What a disguising / disgusting thing to use the word 'kimono'. It's disrespectful to Japanese culture / cultural. True cultural appropriation." Another person tweeted: "I feel very sadly / sad that the name 'Kimono' is being used for something complete / completely different from what we Japanese know about it. I feel this name choice is simply / simple ignorant." She ended her tweet with #KimOhNo.

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    K_m K_r d_s h__ n W_s t h_s _n g_r_d p__ p l_ _n J_p_n _f t_r l__ n c h_n g _ n_w l_n_ _f l_n g_r__ c_l l_d ' K_m_n_ I n t_m_t_s ' . P__ p l_ _n J_p_n h_v_ r__ c t_d w_t h _n g_r _n d h_v_ _c c_s_d K_r d_s h__ n _f c_l t_r_l _p p r_p r__ t__ n . T h_y s_y t h_ l_n g_r__ g r__ t l y d_s r_s p_c t s J_p_n_s_ c_l t_r_. T h_ k_m_n_ _s _n _c_n_c s y m b_l _n J_p_n _n d _s c_n s_d_r_d t h_ c__ n t r y ' s n_t__ n_l d r_s s . I t _s _n _x q__ s_t_l y d_c_r_t_d , l_n g - s l__ v_d r_b_ t__ d w_t h _n _r n_t_ s_s h . I t _s _s__ l l y m_d_ _f s_l k _n d _s w_r n _n s p_c__ l _c c_s__ n s . A J_p_n_s_ w_m_n _x p l__ n_d t_ t h_ B B C : " W_ w__ r k_m_n_s t_ c_l_b r_t_ h__ l t h , g r_w t h _f c h_l d r_n , _n g_g_m_n t s , m_r r__ g_s , g r_d__ t__ n s , _t f_n_r_l s . I t ' s c_l_b r_t_r y w__ r _n d p_s s_d _n _n f_m_l__ s t h r__ g h t h_ g_n_r_t__ n s . "

    T h_r_ h_s b__ n _ l_t _f b_c k l_s h _g__ n s t K_r d_s h__ n W_s t _n s_c__ l m_d__ . A p_r t f r_m t h_ l_n g_r__ h_v_n g n_ r_s_m b l_n c_ t_ r__ l k_m_n_ _r _n y t h_n g J_p_n_s_, t h_ A m_r_c_n s_c__ l_t_ _s _l s_ t r y_n g t_ t r_d_m_r k k_m_n_- w_r d_d b r_n d s . S h_ h_s f_l_d t r_d_m_r k s f_r " K_m_n_ B_d y " , " K_m_n_ I n t_m_t_s " _n d " K_m_n_ W_r l d " . O n_ T w_t t_r _s_r w r_t_: " W h_t _ d_s g_s t_n g t h_n g t_ _s_ t h_ w_r d ' k_m_n_' . I t ' s d_s r_s p_c t f_l t_ J_p_n_s_ c_l t_r_. T r__ c_l t_r_l _p p r_p r__ t__ n . " A n_t h_r p_r s_n t w__ t_d : " I f__ l v_r y s_d t h_t t h_ n_m_ ' K_m_n_' _s b__ n g _s_d f_r s_m_t h_n g c_m p l_t_l y d_f f_r_n t f r_m w h_t w_ J_p_n_s_ k n_w _b__ t _t . I f__ l t h_s n_m_ c h__ c_ _s s_m p l y _g n_r_n t . S h_ _n d_d h_r t w__ t w_t h # K_m O h N_.

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    kim kardashian west has angered people in japan after launching a new line of lingerie called kimono intimates people in japan have reacted with anger and have accused kardashian of cultural appropriation they say the lingerie greatly disrespects japanese culture the kimono is an iconic symbol in japan and is considered the countrys national dress it is an exquisitely decorated longsleeved robe tied with an ornate sash it is usually made of silk and is worn on special occasions a japanese woman explained to the bbc we wear kimonos to celebrate health growth of children engagements marriages graduations at funerals its celebratory wear and passed on in families through the generations

    there has been a lot of backlash against kardashian west on social media apart from the lingerie having no resemblance to real kimono or anything japanese the american socialite is also trying to trademark kimonoworded brands she has filed trademarks for kimono body kimono intimates and kimono world one twitter user wrote what a disgusting thing to use the word kimono its disrespectful to japanese culture true cultural appropriation another person tweeted i feel very sad that the name kimono is being used for something completely different from what we japanese know about it i feel this name choice is simply ignorant she ended her tweet with kimohno

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    KimKardashianWesthasangeredpeopleinJapanafterlaunchinganewli
    neoflingeriecalled'KimonoIntimates'.PeopleinJapanhavereactedwit
    hangerandhaveaccusedKardashianofculturalappropriation.Theysay
    thelingeriegreatlydisrespectsJapaneseculture.Thekimonoisaniconic
    symbolinJapanandisconsideredthecountry'snationaldress.Itisanexq
    uisitelydecorated,long-sleevedrobetiedwithanornatesash.Itisusual
    lymadeofsilkandiswornonspecialoccasions.AJapanesewomanexplai
    nedtotheBBC:"Wewearkimonostocelebratehealth,growthofchildren
    ,engagements,marriages,graduations,atfunerals.It'scelebratorywe
    arandpassedoninfamiliesthroughthegenerations."Therehasbeenalo
    tofbacklashagainstKardashianWestonsocialmedia.Apartfromthelin
    geriehavingnoresemblancetorealkimonooranythingJapanese,theA
    mericansocialiteisalsotryingtotrademarkkimono-wordedbrands.S
    hehasfiledtrademarksfor"KimonoBody","KimonoIntimates"and"Ki
    monoWorld".OneTwitteruserwrote:"Whatadisgustingthingtousethe
    word'kimono'.It'sdisrespectfultoJapaneseculture.Trueculturalappro
    priation."Anotherpersontweeted:"Ifeelverysadthatthename'Kimon
    o'isbeingusedforsomethingcompletelydifferentfromwhatweJapanes
    eknowaboutit.Ifeelthisnamechoiceissimplyignorant.Sheendedhert
    weetwith#KimOhNo.

    Free writing

    Write about cultural appropriation for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    Cultural appropriation is totally wrong and unacceptable. Discuss.

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    Homework

    1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
    2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. CULTURAL APPROPRIATION: Make a poster about cultural appropriation. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. KIM KARDASHIAN WEST: Write a magazine article about Kim Kardashian West using the word 'kimono' for her lingerie brand. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
    5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on cultural appropriation. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your opinions on Kim Kardashian West's actions. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

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    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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