Orientalist for the Weekend: The British Are Back
Introduction Coldplay and Beyonce’s newest music video, Hymn for the Weekend, does a fantastic job of reinforcing western views on India’s exotic culture and people, and making millions while at it. This is not about political correctness or being overly sensitive. This is much, much worse than just cultural appropriation; …
Hindu Tattoos: Commodification through Cultural Appropriation
Background An ever-growing trend in western culture is the use of Indian dress, customs, and motifs as part of their costumes, routines, and other things. For example, one will sometimes see devotional dance moves from Bharatanatyam and Kathak used in performances. Another popular occurrence is the use of Bindi’s as …
Bindis: The Westernization of a Spiritual Tradition
Based on recent pictures from the 2014 Coachella Music Festival in California, there seems to be an up-and-coming trend in the world of fashion. From the Kardashians, to Katy Perry, to Selena Gomez during her infamous performance at the MTV Movie Awards last year, many non-Indian, non-Hindu women have began …
