A viral Instagram video by user @naijamademe has sparked a heated discussion about cultural appropriation and gentrification.
The woman behind the account expressed outrage over the rebranding of traditional chewing sticks as “natural toothbrushes” by Western brands.
In the video, the Nigerian woman recounts her shock while scrolling through Prime Day deals, where she encountered a product marketed as a “natural toothbrush.” Upon closer inspection, she realized that the product was actually a traditional chewing stick, a tool her father has used for dental hygiene since immigrating to the United States in the 1980s.
“I never thought I’d see the day as a child of immigrants where people gentrified chewing sticks, but here we are,” she said in the video. “What they’re marketing as a natural toothbrush is a freaking chewing stick—this is why my dad hasn’t been to the dentist since he came to America.”
Chewing sticks, used for centuries in various African and Asian cultures, are known for their natural cleansing properties and have been a staple in many households as an alternative to modern toothbrushes.
The woman emphasized that the product being sold online for $42 is available in local stores for just a few dollars per bundle.
“This is not a natural toothbrush. It is a chewing stick,” she declared, criticizing the commodification and rebranding of a culturally significant item for profit. “White people, westernized people, gentrifying and selling back to y’all traditional African, Asian, Black, and Brown practices must be stopped.”
The video has since sparked conversations on social media about the broader issue of cultural appropriation, where traditional practices and products from non-Western cultures are repackaged and sold at inflated prices, often without proper acknowledgment or respect for their origins.
