For years, I have heard non-South Asians express admiration for the vibrancy of our cultural and religious celebrations, from weddings to festivals, with comments like, “Oh, I just love your celebrations. They’re so colorful!” However, despite the positive sentiment, these comments often carry an undercurrent of discomfort or exoticization, leaving me with an unsettling feeling that people use the term “colorful” as a euphemism for “exotic.”
According to Kriti Mehta, a 26-year-old owner of a South Asian boutique in New Zealand, such comments are commonplace and have become a cultural trope, almost like a meme. In contrast, Mehta pointed out that a simple Google search for “classy aesthetic” predominantly yields results featuring neutral colors, especially in recent years. This discrepancy raises questions about the underlying biases that influence Western perceptions of beauty and aesthetics and the ways in which they have impacted and marginalized cultures and traditions that embrace color and vibrancy.
