South Asian creators call out influencers for cultural appropriation after seeing scandi scarves at Coachella
The first weekend of Coachella has officially come to an end—wrapping up on Sunday 13 April 2025. The music festival came back with a bang, showcasing studded boots, lace bralettes, fringe leather jackets, and flower crowns. What began as a celebration of music has long since evolved into an informal runway for the internet’s most stylish influencers and celebrities. However, many of the festival’s fashion staples—namely Native American-inspired feathered headdresses, Bindi-like forehead jewellery, and Romani-esque skirts and dresses—have drawn the ire of critics who argue that these styles amount to cultural appropriation.
Now, South Asian creators on TikTok are speaking up to prevent festival-goers from turning their culture into an aesthetic. And a lot of this conversation is centred around the Dupatta, a long shawl-like scarf traditionally worn by women of South Asian descent, that has made its way into the hands of ‘boho chic’ content creators, who have been referring to it as a Scandinavian scarf. So, here is a breakdown of the controversy.
“If you are not South Asian and you accidentally wore these things because you were looking up cute wedding guest outfits and you didn’t want to do another floral situation, it’s time to stop. It’s time to wrap it up,” content creator Tamillionaire argued in a video titled “Isn’t it Just a Scarf?’ South Asian Attire In The Mainstream.”
@tamillionaire4eva Start here if you’re considering “a cute scarf accessory” for your next big event 🙂 please. No seriously, listen 😐. South Asian friends, how are you faring? What are you thinking? This is where I’m at! #ohpolly #devonleecarlson #southasian #lehenga #scarf #dupatta #browngirl #desitiktok #trendcycle #ibizaoutfits #southasianfashion #scarftop #scarfstyles #weddingguestoutfit #indianclothes #indianoutfit #reformation
♬ original sound - tamillionaire4eva
@suniabukhari take me to scandanavia i guess #dupatta #southasianfashion #browngirltiktok #desi #scandanavianstyle #fyp #foryou #foryoupage
♬ original sound - SUNIA
Other creators seemed to agree, calling out the prevalence of this garment at different festivals.
“If I see one more white influencer at Coachella on my feed wearing a dupatta on her head…” TikToker Sunia started while touching her forehead in frustration. “I’m genuinely so pissed [at] the people commenting ‘It’s not that deep, touch some grass’. Catch me outside, catch me outside.”
Equally outraged, content creator Tracy said: “It’s aggravating to hear people call the dupatta the Scandinavian scarf. Yes, racist white people are going to gaslight you. Yes, it’s annoying.”
Most of the outrage was centred around the fact that all markers of the dupatta’s heritage were removed, so the product could be cheaply reproduced for a mass market that was seemingly refusing to acknowledge the identity, tradition, and spirituality the garment was tied to.
Of course, neither cultural appropriation nor its existence at Coachella are new conversations. Marginalised communities have long argued that icons related to their culture were divorced from their history, worn without context, and sold as a trendy and edgy vibe.
On top of that, the festival has a long history of insensitive clothing choices amplified by the tone-deaf fashion of celebrities in attendance.
Vanessa Hudgens, who has been flower-crowed as the ‘Queen of Coachella’, has been called out numerous times for pairing ponchos and maxi dresses with bindis–a symbolic dot on the forehead worn by married women in India as a symbol of life-long commitment to their husbands.
no one was touching vanessa hudgens at coachella in the 2010s pic.twitter.com/bs9iZ70gbU
— nostalgia (@whyrev) April 11, 2025
Likewise, Kendall Jenner has previously turned up wearing an Indian “nath”—a piece of Indian bridal jewellery that connects a nose ring to an ear piercing.
In 2014, supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio also faced backlash for posting a picture of herself wearing a feathered headdress to Instagram with the caption: “Becoming more inspired for @coachella with this amazing Native American headpiece.” Interestingly, the post has never been taken down…
View this post on Instagram
It’s not exactly promising that we’re still having this conversation more than a decade after the first feathered headdresses sparked outrage, but until something changes, we’ll have to keep having it. Because ignorance might be accidental, but repetition is a choice.
