When Culture Becomes Performance

Over the past couple of years, I’ve noticed bits and pieces of my culture becoming trends that Western society has profited from. These are going unnoticed and these cultures never end up getting the acknowledgment. 

Culture is flattened into small, digestible pieces that are easy for the West to consume. Through the lens of Orientalism, coined by academic Edward Said, the East is viewed as an exotic “other.” They’re deemed as something interesting to look at, rather than the rich histories behind it. Orientalism delves into the idea that complex cultures are reduced to simple symbols and oversimplified, stripped out of their context and meaning in order to fit into common trend cycles. 

For example, the “clean girl aesthetic” that includes slick backs and oiling your hair are framed as minimalist and even aspirational. The act itself isn’t the issue and neither is adopting techniques for self-care. 

However, South Asian women have been practicing hair oiling for centuries and it is a major part of our culture.  Now, someone from Western society oiling their hair or doing slick backs isn’t the issue, it’s that South Asian kids have been bullied for having “oily” hair with slicked back hair styles and the fact that these two practices are one and the same, but one look is perceived as desirable because it’s been packaged to fit western trends. 

The lack of acknowledgement is fairly upsetting, especially with racism towards brown people being on the rise everywhere. Culture is embraced at surface level and marginalized people remain misunderstood. This contradiction reveals broader patterns of selective acceptance of “Eastern” cultures and their commodification where elements are depleted of meaning and context, and repackaged into trends that are easy for the West to digest.

These patterns are most evident within the fashion industry. In this modern fashion era, fast fashion as well as luxury brands have incorporated South Asian style elements into their collections. However it is somehow perceived as an entirely different style. Some of these articles of clothing include: dupatta-style scarves with dresses, pieces that imitate lehengas, and block prints that are all over H&M and brands alike. 

Elements of South Asian jewelry are also found all over fast fashion brands with extreme markups and no recognition of their South Asian roots. This phenomenon isn’t new, but it’s more prevalent because it’s happening faster due to social media.

I recently went to Urban Outfitters and recognized these bangles that my best friend bought for Eid. It was clearly identical to the bangles she owned, but it lacked the same craftsmanship because it is a mass produced product.

The trendy “boho” style in the early 2000s was also very reminiscent of South Asian fashion such as the oxidized jewelry, the floral prints, flowy clothes, and henna tattoos.

This reflects how trend cycles quickly evolve and culture is turned into a performance and aestheticized. Yet, when people from the same cultures wear cultural markers themselves, it’s perceived as a symbol of otherness. 

Orientalism also signifies how the West derives their own narratives about the East, without actually letting people from there speak for themselves.

Recently, there’s a TikTok trend  that highlights the phrase “you’ve met me at a very Chinese time in my life.” While this trend isn’t an inherently wrong thing, it reflects a broader pattern of how Eastern cultures are turned into Orientalist fantasies, context and intention carries heavy weight here. It’s essential to ask yourself whether this is deep appreciation or merely a performance.

There has been a clear power imbalance that demonstrates how culture is shaped and presented  by those who have the stronger influence and platform to define it. So, when these things keep repeating themselves, it’s extremely frustrating to see one’s culture and people get exploited and not even get recognition in return.

Eastern cultures are used as resources for inspiration and have been for a long time.  Most of this comes from how Western cultures have engaged with the East in the past.

People from the West have the privilege of consuming our cultures without bearing the repercussions that come from it, and that is why before trying out a new trend, we should critically think about what that means and recognize it.

• clean girl
• culture
• orientalism
• tiktok
• trends
• urban outfitters
• west