Model Sahara Ray Waded Into Controversial Territory With Her New Swimwear Collection Featuring Faces Of Hindu Deities
Many international stars have been served with hate for using symbols of religious sentiments as mere elements of pop culture worthy trends. Then be it Rihanna’s Lord Ganesha pendant or Kim Kardashian’s Om ear hoops, celebrities have received backlash for the inappropriate usage of religious figures. And now adding to the list is model Sahara Ray and her swimwear label.
While, you’d think what could have gone wrong in a swimwear collection, let us tell you why the internet is upset. So, recently Sahara Ray’s swimwear label–Sahara Ray Swim launched its Aura Collection 2022. Much like a beachwear range, the collection consisted of a variety of string bikinis and bralettes. But what seems upsetting here is the print of Hindu deities used as decoration over it. As soon as the collection dropped, the Internet came running after the label and Sahara Ray for using Lord Vishnu and his avatars on bikini tops and shorts.
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Soon after the launch, many from the internet parivaar came forward to protest against the designs as they said, “Stop profiting off Hinduism and printing deities on your bikinis. And whenever someone calls you out or asks you to apologise stop blocking them it’s giving clown behaviour.” Take a look at some of these reactions.
https://twitter.com/Muskan444444/status/1518432673558982657?s=20&t=CW8Rlk4Wh5R52oqHfk8z4A
Please understand tha gravity of matter and take action against the company – https://t.co/vZxiE8SjDP.@PMOIndia @HMOIndia @myogiadityanath https://t.co/vLRDKfA20w
— 🇮🇳 Borderman 🇮🇳 (@MSingh_082020) April 24, 2022
Stop profiting off Hinduism and printing deities on your bikinis. And whenever someone calls you out or asks you to apologise stop blocking them it’s giving clown behaviour 🤡🤡@SaharaRay pic.twitter.com/BqSjwnhHOi
— wood addiction (@woodaddiction) April 23, 2022
This is sahara Ray’s swim wear company..
So now in the name of asethetics they using Hindu gods as fashion design on their bikini tops and bottoms .What was thier motive behind it ? Why dont they try to put jesus as thier asethetics design😏😏😏😏 pic.twitter.com/o2fFAQ1ziK
— Shobna Raman (@shob3101) April 24, 2022
Many angry netizens filled the swim wear label’s official Instagram DM with queries and complains regarding the designs, responding to which the label’s official handle decided to go private (the only answer they have).
https://twitter.com/NatashaThasan/status/1518243947981778945?s=20&t=CW8Rlk4Wh5R52oqHfk8z4A
@SaharaRay why to disrecpet hindu gods be in your limit dont cross it you are such a timid insulting hindu gods action shoul be taken @narendramodi @PMOIndia @myogiadityanath yeh ladki instagram pr ye sbh bechti hai yeh jo aap dekh rahe hai ye
ladkio k andruni kapde hai pic.twitter.com/t6w3ZC9L5x— Litmemesup (@litmemesup) April 24, 2022
Also Read: Rihanna Gets Slammed After She Posed Topless Wearing A Ganesha Necklace
Some even called out the brand for equating the religious figures with design aesthetics, and pointed out at the cultural appropriation.
While fashion is free to experiment with anything and everything, playing around with something so close to a culture or religion’s sentiments is not cool. And being a responsible, popular label it’s time celebrities and their respective brands remain mindful of the same. However, this incident again sheds light on the disrespectful borrowing from another cultures. Cultural appropriation has always remained very close to controversies. Many labels, onscreen character portrayals, and celebrities have openly been called out for the inappropriate usage of elements from another popular cultures, which in many ways hampers with its identity and representation in a foreign land.
Then be it the wrong usage of the Sikh turban with irrelevant pairings on runways, designer Lisa Blue’s 2012 swimwear collection featuring Goddess Lakshmi or the infamous Marc Jacobs’ Spring 2017 showcase that saw models like Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner walking the runway in colourful dreadlocks, these instances remind us of the mistake famous figures continue to make in the name of style and fashion.
What’s your take?
First Published: April 25, 2022 7:57 PM
