“Because you know you’re ugly.”ĭefining cultural appropriation isn't easy. “‘Shade’ is: I don’t tell you you’re ugly,” the fierce matriarch to the members of the House of Corey explained. The subtle way of dismissing someone without them even realizing it was first defined in a beloved Paris Is Burning scene by Dorian Corey, a New York drag queen. To better understand this phenomenon, consider how the term 'shade' has evolved.
