OP, if your family is Hawaiian or has some connection to Hawaii, absolutely make one or ship one to DC for your kid. However, if your kid is a Californian thinking they need to wear a lei at college graduation - no one does this and many here on the East will be view this as odd and, yes, cultural appropriation.

OP, you can try calling florists in Hawaii and CA to see if they'll FedEx overnight. It'll be expensive though. Or you can make a ribbon or candy lei with supplies purchased locally - lots of videos on youtube.

I'm Asian American and born and raised in Hawaii. Leis are given at graduation ceremonies in Hawaii no matter what ethnicity you are. There are a lot of posters here who have no clue what they're talking about. Hawaiian is an ethnicity - the Hawaiian people are Indigenous and the original inhabitants of the archipelago chain. So, no, you cannot be 100% European and also Hawaiian. You can be 100% White and born and raised in Hawaii, though. You'd be called Haole.
That being said, there are a lot of different races and ethnicities in Hawaii and have been for a long time. People came to the Islands from all over the world for different reasons. Some where Christian missionaries, some worked on plantations, some came to study, some as tourists and never left, etc. As a result or the ethnic mix, there are a lot of people who are Hapa - or mixed race.

While the politics of colonialism in Hawaii are fraught, I have never, ever heard about the tradition of wearing a lei at graduation as a form of cultural appropriation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is cultural appropriation. It looks silly for white people to wear lei. Sorry, it just does. I guess it is acceptable in California? How do you feel
about white people with corn rows?

The whole “cultural appropriation” concept is stupid. Get over it. People are allowed to wear what they want. Other cultures can wear western or Caucasian styles, but the reverse isn’t okay? Pffffft!

+1 it's absolutely not cultural appropriation. These pp's are utter morons.

Let me guess, you are a white person that buys these for their white kids? Of course it isn’t cultural appropriation!

No, I'm a Maui Native and graduated from Kamehameha High School and attended Stanford and Berkeley undergrad and grad... you?

I graduated from college 25 years ago and even then, the kids who were from Hawai'i (white or not) all had their families bring leis for their friends- this was back when it was really hard to get them shipped easily to the mainland. My child does a sport that has large regional competitions, and her region includes Hawaii. Their region traditionally has flower crowns (haku lei) for the final competition of the year. We also see leis at sports banquets, religious sacraments and end-of-year celebrations.

There are also a lot of mixed-race white and Asian families of Hawaiian and Asian origin, some of whom have lived away from Hawai'i for a long time, so designating certain things as white/not-white and Hawaiian/not Hawaiian gets complicated.

I'm in the Seattle area and have also lived in CA and have never heard anyone in either area call it appropriation. I think that says a lot because Seattle people are very quick to find things to be picky or angry about when it comes to anything related to race, ethnicity, multiculturalism, and appropriation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is cultural appropriation. It looks silly for white people to wear lei. Sorry, it just does. I guess it is acceptable in California? How do you feel
about white people with corn rows?

The whole “cultural appropriation” concept is stupid. Get over it. People are allowed to wear what they want. Other cultures can wear western or Caucasian styles, but the reverse isn’t okay? Pffffft!

+1 it's absolutely not cultural appropriation. These pp's are utter morons.

Let me guess, you are a white person that buys these for their white kids? Of course it isn’t cultural appropriation!

Anonymous wrote:I'm in CA as well, lots of influence from Hawaii and surf culture in general, and they're part of graduations here, like it or not. Order from a florist ($40-80), get them from Costco ($19.99) or make your own ($7-10)

There are YouTube tutorials galore. Grab a long needle (doll needle or the like) and some dental floss. You can use almost any flower but carnations and spray roses are easiest/most cost effective. But from TJ's a few days before you need them (so they open to the max). It took me about 2 hours to make 8 for my kid and friends. Fun creative challenge to make in college colors for each kid.

NP. Thank you for this! I was thinking of trying to make one with carnations when mine graduates.

Anonymous wrote:It's a thing at my DC's college. Not everyone does it though. The college bookstore allows orders during graduation season. Have you checked with the school OP?

It's really become a huge thing at many colleges over the last 3-5 years. It used to only be Hawaiian/Samoan/Other PI who did this but now it has trickled down to everyone.

One kid at DD's graduation last month had a money lei and another made of McDonald's french fry containers. Not sure what that's about.

I just saw a social media video where a guy graduating had about 10 different lei on, including one made of McDonald's happy meal containers. What's the deal with McDonalds??!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm in CA as well, lots of influence from Hawaii and surf culture in general, and they're part of graduations here, like it or not. Order from a florist ($40-80), get them from Costco ($19.99) or make your own ($7-10)

There are YouTube tutorials galore. Grab a long needle (doll needle or the like) and some dental floss. You can use almost any flower but carnations and spray roses are easiest/most cost effective. But from TJ's a few days before you need them (so they open to the max). It took me about 2 hours to make 8 for my kid and friends. Fun creative challenge to make in college colors for each kid.

Is this popular anywhere else in the country?

My niece graduated from a small college in Spokane, Washington about five years ago, and I would say half of the students wore them at the graduation. Many of them looked Hawaiian but also lots of white kids wore them too. That was the first time I had ever seen that tradition. I think it's become a west coast tradition as my DD is graduating from UCLA this year and she said lots of her classmates will be wearing them (she is not).

Same in Nevada

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm in CA as well, lots of influence from Hawaii and surf culture in general, and they're part of graduations here, like it or not. Order from a florist ($40-80), get them from Costco ($19.99) or make your own ($7-10)

There are YouTube tutorials galore. Grab a long needle (doll needle or the like) and some dental floss. You can use almost any flower but carnations and spray roses are easiest/most cost effective. But from TJ's a few days before you need them (so they open to the max). It took me about 2 hours to make 8 for my kid and friends. Fun creative challenge to make in college colors for each kid.

Is this popular anywhere else in the country?

My niece graduated from a small college in Spokane, Washington about five years ago, and I would say half of the students wore them at the graduation. Many of them looked Hawaiian but also lots of white kids wore them too. That was the first time I had ever seen that tradition. I think it's become a west coast tradition as my DD is graduating from UCLA this year and she said lots of her classmates will be wearing them (she is not).

Anonymous wrote:It is cultural appropriation. It looks silly for white people to wear lei. Sorry, it just does. I guess it is acceptable in California? How do you feel about white people with corn rows?

Unless you are Hawaiian, no one wants your opinion.

And if your were Hawaiian, your wouldn't culturally appropriate stupid mainlander fads like gatekeeping.

Anonymous wrote:It is cultural appropriation. It looks silly for white people to wear lei. Sorry, it just does. I guess it is acceptable in California? How do you feel about white people with corn rows?

You can be white and Hawaiian. Stop policing people with this nonsense.

Anonymous wrote:Just because they’re sold in grocery stores doesn’t make cultural appropriation right.

Are you only allowed to shop in the ethnically appropriate aisle in the grocery store or do we need your permission to buy whatever item we would like?

It's cultural imperialism and I submit to Hawaiian overlords. Better to buy flowers from them than trample their coastline and mountains.

Anonymous wrote:Just because they’re sold in grocery stores doesn’t make cultural appropriation right.

No, but cultural drift is not the same as appropriation. Graduation leis (yes I used the s) have been a thing in CA for 40+ years. I assume they've spread east from there, if OP is not Californian.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is cultural appropriation. It looks silly for white people to wear lei. Sorry, it just does. I guess it is acceptable in California? How do you feel
about white people with corn rows?

The whole “cultural appropriation” concept is stupid. Get over it. People are allowed to wear what they want. Other cultures can wear western or Caucasian styles, but the reverse isn’t okay? Pffffft!

+1 it's absolutely not cultural appropriation. These pp's are utter morons.