Fashion is meant to be amusing and intriguing but can transition into an important subject when cultural heritage begins to fall between these boundaries. Influencers on social media have started to wear basic clothing paired with accessories they refer to as “Scandinavian scarves.” In my culture, we refer to these items as a dupatta. I read an article from Elle India that matched the outrage expressed by many South Asians while scrolling past the heated conversations. According to the article, a dupatta is more than just a piece of cloth; it has cultural significance and is a symbol of respect, custom, and even ancestry that spans generations from time. Influencers and corporations now are eliminating centuries of cultural significance associated with an accessory by referring to it as a “Scandinavian scarf.”
The modernization of South Asian apparel in Western markets is not new. I’ve seen mehndi referred to as “temporary tattoos” or “drawings,” bindis worn at music festivals, and now dupattas losing their individuality. The lack of context and credit is more of an issue than the sharing of fashion. The irony of how cultural symbols are only respected once they are separated from their people of origin comes to light when the same females who earlier made fun of South Asians for dressing in “weird” ways suddenly embrace the scarf trend as stylish and trendy. When I first heard about the Peppermayo Scandinavian tops that everyone was getting, it reminded me of a South Asian blouse/top because of all the rhinestone detail and pattern. I didn’t think it would get any worse until I opened up my TikTok and saw videos of these females wearing what I knew as a dupatta over their Western clothes, calling it a “Scandinavian scarf”.
I usually am not one to get upset about things like this as fashion from other countries is known to spread and interact with one another but it was the failure of representing the South Asian name of it and calling it something else that made me a little offended. I love that people of different cultures are utilizing stuff that originated in my country but to not represent where the idea came from and trying to claim something that doesn’t belong to them as it was advertised like that is sad. Mainly because as a little girl, wearing my ethnic clothes to school dances had me made fun of by other girls as they didn’t know what I was wearing and didn’t think it looked normal to them. I refuse to believe there hasn’t been a time in anyone’s life who has never seen a dupatta, as I always wear my cultural outfits in public often. To give credit to a culture is one thing but to change the entire name and misinforming others is a different thing.Â
I feel there could have been more effort made in representing the clothing items but it just seemed like stealing to me and many others. As I was scrolling through comments, there were a lot of arguments between south asian women and American women. Some people who had no idea what the clothing item was were saying comments such as “ That is such a beautiful scarf!” or “Where did you get your scarf from?”. The creator of the video just never responded to any comments about it and let everyone argue once someone who was South Asian tried to prove a point. That just didn’t end well since the creator must have wanted more rage bait to happen so that the video goes viral and reaches many more audiences and gets more comments as that is the method to earning a good amount of money on that platform.
Though there is a thin line separating appreciation and appropriation, fashion lives on inspiration and interaction. Recognition includes acknowledgment, respect, and appreciation. But when culture is redefined, diminished, and advertised to the general public without respecting its origins, this is known as appropriation. Unfortunately, it appears that the so-called “Scandinavian scarf” trend belongs to the last category.