3 days ago
South Asians On Hollywood Scandinavian Scarf Trend
Note: This post is an Op-Ed and shares the author's personal views.
Suppose you've been browsing TikTok looking for inspiration on what to wear to your friend's upcoming garden wedding. If so, you've probably noticed one particular item has been making the rounds on everyone's vision board for the season. Stroll through any women's clothing store and you'll spot it. Every celebrity was wearing it at award shows, and it looks like it's the accessory of the summer.
I'm of course referring to those fab little chiffon scarves that the girlies have been draping around their necks. So chic, they've almost been impossible to escape. But if you have a South Asian friend, you might have had to sit through a rant or two on FaceTime where they tiredly explained their frustration with this particular accessory. My friends sure have had to put up with a couple of vent sessions over the past months. But you might be wondering what the actual issue is, if there's any at all.
A little background for those who might need it: if your feed looks different to mine, you might have missed the discussion around the ironically named 'Scandinavian Scarf' micro-trend. The discourse has permeated the online cultural zeitgeist of the South Asian community over the past year, and it's been rampant. In case you missed it, here's the rundown.
In a since-deleted TikTok video, the Bipty employee attempted to describe the style of sheer scarf worn as a shawl, saying it was 'very European and effortlessly chic.' While some agreed, the video was quickly spread in South Asian circles online, where viewers instantly recognized the style as something pretty distinctly Desi.
In South Asian women's cultural clothing, more often than not, a scarf will be worn. This scarf, called a dupatta or a chunni, is a very prominent feature of traditional dress. It dates back literally thousands of years to the Indus Valley civilization, which was around during the Bronze Age. So it's not exactly something new.
To this day, dupattas are worn by South Asian women, both in cultural clothing and in everyday life. You'll find them everywhere from Bollywood movies to Naani's wardrobe. They symbolize a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but it's a pretty distinctive marker that ties the community together. At least, that's what it means to me.
After the original video went viral, Bipty founder Natalia Ohanesian took to social media to apologize for her employee's actions. 'The fashion aesthetic my teammate was fawning over in that video is very clearly not European,' she said. 'I understand the deeper conversations of cultural appropriation and all of the hurt that comes from these conversations.'
'I'm seeing this as an opportunity to really enrich Bipty's community, so thank you,' she continued. 'We are very sorry to the South Asian communities that were offended.' The video is currently unavailable as of May 2025, and it looks like Bipty has removed their TikTok presence entirely.
Since last summer, South Asians online have been poking fun at the 'Scandinavian Scarf' trend and have been using it as an excuse to post themselves in their gorgeous cultural clothing. As they should. But despite awareness of the issue online, the scarf trend has only grown in popularity.
Last year, during awards season, we saw a number of celebrities donning a scarf around the neck, and this year was no different. I counted 7 at this year's Oscars alone before I got bored and stopped counting. The style was sported at the SAG Awards, the Gotham Awards, the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and pretty much everywhere else you can think of.
Now, I definitely can't claim that there's anything inherently wrong with wearing a floaty piece of fabric around your neck. A number of fashion outlets covered the trend and credited it to certain 'Old Hollywood' moments: most notably Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief, and Princess Diana at Cannes in 1987.
While all of these are instances of the style being a Hollywood staple for a while, it's not hard to imagine how the '50s look gained popularity in the West, especially considering that India only gained independence from British rule in 1947. So gems and spices were probably not the only things the Brits took home.
Many brands have also been getting a ton of flak for now selling pieces that look distinctly South Asian. Reformation, VRG GRL, and Oh Polly are among the labels that have faced criticism for their recent designs. The Oh Polly one was kind of my favorite, because in what world is that not a sharara?
South Asians online have had varying reactions, but the overarching feeling is definitely one of dislike. Some creators have declared that all they want is credit, and that it's fine to wear South Asian inspired pieces as long as they are referred to by the correct cultural names. However, I feel like I'm getting flashbacks to Coachella 2015 when I was fighting for my life on Tumblr, arguing that no, it wasn't okay to wear a bindi and a tikka, yes, even if you were Vanessa Hudgens.
As for me, I am of the camp that if you can't pronounce dupatta, there's no reason that you should be wearing one. However, I can't even bring myself to care that much. We really have bigger issues to focus on as a community right now. Have you seen the turmoil that our countries are going through back home? What I'm feeling is exhaustion. After years of the same arguments getting hashed out over and over again, my gut response is just fine, screw it. You win. Wear whatever you want. But I'm also exhausted because I know exactly how this is going to end.
The most frustrating part about seeing your culture get co-opted for the trend of the week is knowing that it's on a time limit. With how fast micro-trends run in and out of the social sphere, it's now a matter of minutes before something goes out of fashion. In a year or two, people will look back and laugh about how everyone and their mother were wearing a neck scarf in 2025, and how they wouldn't be caught dead in one now. Meanwhile, my family and I will still be wearing dupattas on Eid, because that's what we do every year. But God forbid I wear one in public, lest someone think I'm following a dead trend. The very idea.
Up until literally this year, long, decorated nail extensions were everywhere. Stiletto acrylics were so common that it really seemed like people forgot the origin — which was Black women from the early '90s onwards. At the time, the style was looked down upon as 'ghetto,' but as always, it was adopted by non-Black folks a couple of years on. But now, it seems like it's run its course, as many online creators have been talking about how short, nude nails are here to stay. Now, long nails are outdated. Another cultural look, taken and discarded with little remorse.
We can't control trends. I certainly participate in them. And I can't really fault anyone for wanting to wear a scarf around their neck with a pretty dress. It's cute, I get it. But it's tiring, knowing the outcome. Knowing that when something is in, it's in. And when it's out, it's unthinkable. We're not able to change that. But if you see me wearing a scarf with a dress in five or ten years, at least don't act surprised.
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