franceshahaha:#RECLAIMTHEBINDIMe, Age 13. These are photos from my sari ceremony from 10 years ago.
franceshahaha:#RECLAIMTHEBINDIMe, Age 13. These are photos from my sari ceremony from 10 years ago. It’s a coming of age ceremony in Hindu culture that marks the beginning of womanhood, where girls wear their first sari. Looking back at my clear discomfort and annoyance in alot of the photos….I was pissed off 1) Every single family member, cousin and friend now knew I had had my PERIOD 2) My PERIOD, WTF IS THIS I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS SHIT 3) And most importantly (and only something I realise on hindsight) I was incredibly embarrassed by having to wear a sari/pottu (or bindi), all the rituals performed on that day and just the whole celebration of Tamil culture. Why couldn’t I be “normal”?!!!! (cue angsty awful younger self)For a long time, especially being born in Australia, I considered myself a ‘real Australian’ and unconsciously assimilated and looked down on my culture. Although I can understand Tamil fluently, I cannot speak it, and it’s something that I also never really attempted to learn, which I now regret. I can see now that as a consequence of wanting to fit in to Australian society, where ‘Australian’ is really codeword for ‘white’, I was taught to be ashamed of my culture. This is only something I’ve come to realise in the past few years, especially in being exposed to critical race theory at university, and meeting so many amazing women of colour with similar experiences. I’m only now beginning the long and difficult process of reversing this harm that was done to my self. I’m not sure that I’ll ever be able to wear the bindi with absolutely no trace of anxiety, but I definitely have a very different, and defiant attitude when I wear it today. And I’ll be damned if a bunch of white girls at Coachella wear the bindi like a cute play thing, when it’s associated with so much trauma for me and so much of the younger diaspora. -- source link
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