While Priyanka Chopra has floored all of us with her dress at the royal wedding, some people are miffed with her for not wearing a sari. So you may be fawning over her Vivienne Westwood lilac suit with a matching fascinator, for some, it was a poor choice when compared to the Indian national dress.
Now sari is indeed a beautiful garment. Indian women embrace with open arms our gorgeous ethnic wear in office as well as at cultural events and family functions. But to demand that Chopra “represent a free and independent India in a beautiful Sari,” is a tad too much.
Why should she put her ethnic inheritance on display at an event where it was the last thing to do.
The royal wedding in itself was of great cultural significance for both the UK royalty and the country. It didn’t need another person swooping in to hog the limelight.
Besides, Chopra can wear a sari anytime she wants to, but this was her only chance to dress like a guest at British royal wedding.
Chopra was under no obligation to represent India
Chopra was invited to the royal wedding as a close friend of Meghan Markle, and not as a representative of India. Thus to expect that she would choose to wear a sari, sounds a bit overzealous. Chopra is a force to be reckoned with around the globe. She has already made our country proud on more occasions than one. But that does not mean that she should sing hymns of our culture everywhere she goes.
Why do we have this fixation with representing Indian culture at every possible international platform? More so, why is it that women have to be the flag bearers of Indian culture on foreign soil? So many Indian male celebrities attend events outside of our country. Yet none of them gets criticised for choosing a tuxedo over dhoti kurta. But every time our women choose to wear a gown on the red carpet, or in this case a royal wedding in Britain nonetheless, we criticise them for not wearing clothes which represent our culture and country.
It is ironic that instead of tackling issues like gruesome rapes, which are earning India a notorious reputation across the world, some people are obsessing over Chopra’s choice of attire at the Royal wedding ceremony.
Instead of criticising what Chopra wore, we should be criticising how most women in India don’t have the right to wear what they want to. Merely draping a sari will not project a free and independent India. Women empowerment and ending misogyny which prevents girls from spreading their wings will.
Photo Credit : Mimi Cuttrell's Instagram
Also Read :Elegant Priyanka Chopra At Royal Wedding For Friend Markle’s Big Day
Yamini Pustake Bhalerao is a writer with the SheThePeople team, in the Opinions section. The views expressed are author’s own.
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