In the article “Indo Chic: Late
Capitalism Orientalism and Imperial Culture” by Professor Sunaina Maira, the
introductory paragraph jumps right into conveying various contradicting
examples, such as how the United States intervenes in matters like Muslim women
who are seen as oppressed individuals who need to be freed and individuals that
live in the Middle East are barbaric and savage and must be civilized.
Simultaneously, it is the western side that commodifies their culture by glorifying
belly dancing, Arabic music, as well as henna. The continued focus on how the “Indo-Chic”
phase emerged when the United States rebranded this culture for the consumption
of mainstream society. When she specifically discusses how western influences
engulfed henna and bindis and essentially transformed these cultural things
into a fashion statement, I can really relate. Being Indian and seeing girls
wear bindis to Coachella, or raves reminds me of how now it is “in” but when I
was younger I was always teased about having a “Gandhi dot”. Something that I
was bullied for in my elementary days, is now a fashion statement because
western society deems it so. 1) It does not feel fair that they can determine
when something like that is acceptable and 2) it is not your culture to latch
onto and alter however you like. This is probably the first reading that I
strongly find relevant because although the other readings focused on how Asian
Americans are neglected and taken advantage of, this was the first to focus on
something I personally experienced.
The
other reading “Arabs, Islam and the Dogmas of the West” by Edward Said gave me
a stronger idea about the notion of orientalism, and its history.
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