Can we just take a minute to talk about this tweet from Oscar de la Renta's very own PR Girl?
I'm not exactly sure what bothers me the most in this tweet but there are definitely undertones of colonial thought and a desire to appear 'exotic' present in this statement.
I am totally willing to admit that I have very little knowledge of Indian culture or of Sari's but I am pretty sure that they aren't just a fashion statement or a type of Dress, as in:
today I could wear my a-line shift, my vintage shirt-dress, or my sari.
Coming from a place of privilege (white, WASP-y, Western privilege) I would argue that the Sari acts as a significant representative or symbol of Indian culture and the Indian woman.
I would also argue that Oscar PR Girl's extreme desire to wear a Sari takes the Sari out of its cultural meaning and places it into her world of Fashion, making her the colonizer who is misappropriating the Sari and its cultural meaning for her own wants and needs (in this case to be fashionable and/or chic).
Now, I am not saying that white people should never wear Saris, but I am saying that we should perhaps think about the context when making such decisions, and the meaning behind whatever cultural artifact we are wanting to appropriate for our own needs, wants, and desires.
You can find more of @OscarPRGirl 's twitter musings here
and her tumblr musings here
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