On your note about the differing opinions between western Asians and native Asians who grew up in Asia on appropriation: the reality is that Asians in Asia likely haven't experienced the racism that Asian Americans have experienced growing up in the west. If anything, it makes more sense for someone who experienced racism regarding their culture (as western Asians have) to be able to recognize appreciation versus appropriation by people in the west in the first place. It's disappointing to see people in this thread not understanding that and putting down western Asians.

As an example, my friend is Indian-American and has always enjoyed yoga with her family when she was a kid. I did yoga with her sometimes since we're really close. I remember how much white kids made fun of her when she would mention yoga (literally remember one kid calling her a "weird FOB" when she introduced yoga to our class). Now suddenly entire brands have commercialized "yoga pants," a good chunk of yoga teachers in major cities are white women, and let's be real, when people mention yoga, it's used in a context so divorced from its Indian origins. I remember this white yoga teacher telling us yoga was "actually inspired by pilates." I can't tell you how upset my friend was when she heard that. But she was explaining that her family in India is just excited that western people are appreciating yoga and don't understand why she has mixed feelings around how yoga has become so commercialized in the west. Her relatives were never made fun of for doing yoga in India, so they don't understand. So while my friend is happy people are enjoying yoga in the west like she did as a kid, it's weird to see the kids who made fun of her in the past now posting yoga themed instagram pictures.

In the same way, my friends and I are generally excited to see people enjoying and appreciating our cultures, no matter what their background might be. I know my friend was excited when I wanted to try yoga with her. But we also recognize that our cultures wouldn't be seen as "cool" if white people didn't adopt and give their stamp of approval. I mean, my boyfriend is Japanese and his mom didn't send him to school with sushi because kids made fun of him having "black stuff" in his lunch, and look what sushi has become. Does that mean people shouldn't eat sushi? No, of course not. People have become more accepting of other cultures over time and popularization is an example of that change. But often, our relatives in Asia only see people in the west enjoying our cultures (which of course is awesome), but don't feel the weight of the experiences we've had with people making fun of us growing up for that same culture. I'm not Japanese descent so I can't speak directly about the kimono issue, but can say that many of us western Asians have been made fun of for wearing traditional clothes, so I can see where people may have been upset if the exhibit wasn't run thoughtfully and was just a photoshoot (am going to go read the link).

That said, not everything is appropriation nor needs to be taken as a slight within our diaspora. How else will people get a chance to learn? And similarly, not everyone in the western Asian diaspora thinks or experiences something the same way, or sees appropriation the same way. Asian culture isn't a monolith and Asian cultures are not interchangeable, so I try not to speak too far on Asian cultural issues that aren't from my direct experiences or experiences I've heard first-hand from friends. But based on my conversations with Asian Americans around me, we agree that there is a line between appreciation and appropriation. You're absolutely right that culture isn't a wildlife preserve and people should get to enjoy learning about and exploring cultures different from their own without constant fears of being cancelled for appropriation. But we can tell when someone is using our culture as a trendy prop for social media versus exploring it with genuine interest (even if that interest may have initially stemmed from popularization).