Edward Said, discusses the tropes and issues that Westerners have contributed towards orientalism. One of these issues is how the perceptions of Asians (and other minorities) are developed and maintained by close minded intellectuals who fail at verifying the information that are presented to them. One of the dogmas that Said presents is the fact that most of these biases are based on the cultural texts and not the reality of being immersed in that culture. Maira’s essay connects to this in that she discusses Orientalism, in the appropriation of Indo-chic in American culture.
This cultural appropriation is one that I’ve been exposed to before. In high school, applying henna to students of all ethnicities who may or may not know it’s cultural significance for $3 was a form of fundraising for the Indian Student Association. I remember being afraid to get one, because I was afraid that I would offend someone of that culture, which is something that is noted about Westerners who were reluctant about participating in the Mendhi event. The idea of cultural appropriation and cultural authenticity is one of the main topics of this essay. One of the interviewed Desi girls in Maira’s essay, explains utilizing Henna in this manner wasn’t exactly a form of appropriation, because to her it’s all about context and the memories associated with the Henna that allows for this way of utilizing Indian culture in Western Society to be acceptable, her only issue was the commodification of it. The commodification of Indo-chic products was another prevalent topic throughout this essay and ties the idea of neoliberalism. With the rise of Indo-chic, Westerners were able to take advantage of commodifying aspects of Indian culture and in the process degrading and dissociating it’s cultural significance. Not only that, they also utilize the cheap labor from the lands of their products’ origins, only to sell it for 40 times its original price.
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