Why the dupatta deserves recognition, not rebranding

Imagine this: you’re scrolling through Instagram, and suddenly you find white women calling the traditional dupatta as the ‘Scandinavian Scarf’. There is no mention of South Asia, no nod to our culture.

While western culture may have been introduced to the concept of dupatta now, brown women have been donning it for ages.

Dupatta is not a ‘Scandinavian Scarf’

The dupatta is not just an accessory. It is layered with meaning. It has accompanied women across generations—through joy, grief, resistance, and revolution. In South Asia, it has been draped over heads in prayer, used to complete festive attire, waved in protest, and handed down as heirlooms.

Over the years, women in India have worn the dupatta with pride. Even actors, in various Bollywood movies have shown how to ace the dupatta.

And yet, for the longest time, wearing a dupatta in Western spaces was met with mockery. It was "too ethnic," "too loud," "too much."

This isn't just about one piece of cloth. It’s about how easily the world cherry-picks from cultures it once dismissed. When the West takes from the East, it often strips context, discards history, and serves the end result as something entirely new. A dupatta becomes a scarf. A bindi becomes a festival accessory. Mehndi turns into a “henna tattoo.” Suddenly, thousands of years of tradition are reduced to moodboard material.

And while some argue that cultural exchange is inevitable—and even beautiful—there’s a clear difference between appreciation and appropriation.

Appreciation involves acknowledgement, respect, and learning. Appropriation, on the other hand, is when elements of a culture are borrowed without permission, credit, or understanding—often by those in positions of power.

The dupatta doesn’t need a rebrand. It doesn’t need to be whitewashed, renamed, or aestheticised to fit Eurocentric ideals. What it needs is recognition for what it already is—a powerful, beautiful, culturally rich garment with roots deep in South Asian soil.

Let’s make one thing clear: the dupatta isn’t a trend. It’s a legacy and it should be given its due respect.