I guess all of this stems from the "absense of white people as a race" thing I read about recently. The theory is that media has pushed it so that white people is considered "superior" and those labelled as a race is inferior. Which is funny because being white is a race that has it's own culture (i.e Nordic). Though all the emphasis on other cultures makes it seem like white people don't have culture and are considered above race.
I think that the main core of cultural appropriation is important, showing respect and understanding for other cultures is a MUST. Though I highly disaprove of people whom wear cultural clothing with little-to-no understanding of how important these items are to said cultures. Most notably is Native American attire and how often it is misused in fashion, though this not the only example.
Honestly, the whole "defend or blend in" argument is a joke in itself. It's more about respect and understanding rather than "hiding" or "throwing out" aspects of culture. Sure they're countries not yet politically developed to understand the concept of cultural appropriation and thus in order to remain safe in those areas you MUST adhere to their culture. But in Western society, we're certainly adept enough to start grasping the concept of appropriate cultural appropriation.
Though it could be said about western culture on the debate over Niqabs and Hijabs. The prime argument for this is usually "security reasons" and it's pushed that these items are a sign of "oppression" which is a load of horse ****. When in actuality it's a religious garment that is a choice for women. Plus, how hard would it be to escort someone wearing these items to a private area in which they can authenticate their ID (primarily Airports)? Often this argument is thrown together with fearmongering in order to push people against those that dont' fit into the white western culture.
TL;DR: Respect and understand cultural fashion before adapting it into your wardrobe, this is the way cultural appropriation is done correctly. The media twists and contorts other cultures via the use of fearmongering in order to turn people away.
Apologies if I write something that sounds off I sometimes misinterpret my sentences.