Alternative subcultures pride themselves on their originality and creativity, but they have something in common with pop culture - stealing from Asian cultures without credit. There are plenty of examples of this, and especially, of the appropriation of tribal cultures. However, here I would like to focus on the appropriation of South Asian culture specifically.
The way designs are stolen from culturally significant jewellery and marketed as “spooky” or “grunge” has racist undertones. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it outrightly racist since “spooky”or “alt” are positive adjectives in these spaces, but the lack of credit combined with such descriptions does rub the wrong way. These subcultures exoticize cultural jewellery rather than respectfully taking inspiration or giving credit. Whether people can incorporate elements of cultures from which they don’t belong to into in their designs, even with credit, is a separate conversation. But regardless of ones stance, it would be miles better than unflatteringly copying designs from cultures.
As some elements of alternative subcultures become more mainstream, especially with the popularity of TikTok and the rise of the “alt aesthetic”, this conversation is much-needed.
To start off, here are some examples of artifacts from South Asian cultures and how alternative cultures have copied them. The lack of credit and rebranding with slight remodeling makes many of these textbook examples of cultural appropriation.
Nose Chains
The most infuriating thing about this example is how it has erased the South Asian origin of nose chains. If you look the most popular search results of “nose chain”, you are bombarded with images of white alternative girls.
Also, let’s be honest, the plain silver chains are sort of bland, compared to the original version. This is why it’s also shocking how they became more popular. If you’re going to steal from other cultures, at least do it well.
Ear Chains
Diamond Chokers
The diamond choker to the left was labeled as “tribal goth style choker”, completely removed from its cultural context.
What’s funny is that all of these accessories would actually be much cheaper if you got the authentic versions from South Asian sellers. But after adding a little blandness to these designs and keywords like “spooky”, “goth” and so on, these accessories are sold at a much higher price. And, they garner more consumers too.
As someone who has very surface-level knowledge about the alt community and its subcultures, I decided to consult someone who’s both South Asian and involved in an alternative subculture.
I talked to Willow Scarlet, a goth Indian musician, who is frequently vocal about this issue. They can be found on Instagram as @_willow._.scarlet_ .
Do you think that the above mentioned examples are forms of cultural appropriation or something else? Like cultural inspiration or coincidental similarities?
A lot of these images are in fact cultural appropriation. I personally have come across alt/goths wearing South Asian jewellery and not at all knowing the meaning or importance of cultural jewellery, ( you can check out this goth influencer- @roses_for_rome on Instagram, she wears South Asian tribal jewellery, uses Hindu imagery, while not at all supporting the history, art, countries and people behind it).
These influencers not only wear culturally appropriative items but they also deal with white capitalist brands that copy the designs of our tribal jewellery. And because of these brands’ demands going up, our tribal artists (who make this jewellery with their own hands) have to face competition they can never compete with, resulting in the competitors erasing their original art. If these alt/goth people would wear jewellery that they bought from native and indigenous South Asian artists, it won’t be cultural appropriation, since our artists want to sell their art themselves to foreigners. Also, if any alt/goth person is profiting off of things of cultural significance to BIPOC cultures (including South Asian) in any way, it will be considered as cultural appropriation.
Have you ever felt alienated by an alternative subculture because of your ethnicity?
I have been attacked and trolled by many racist goths and alt people online, for speaking against cultural appropriation. A lot of people tried to shut my voice down, posted nasty stuff against me, called me poseur etc. All just because I posted things to educate people to not wear South Asian tribal jewellery (unless bought from native artists). I have also been the subject of racism (surprisingly even by Black and POC goths and alt people). I felt helpless, though not alienated, since a large part of the goth and alt scene was agreeing with me and supporting me.
Several of my South Asian friends did face racism too for their ethnicity, because some people in goth/alt subculture try to pretend these subcultures are white as they formed in Europe, etc. So yep, many people, including myself have faced racism in alt subcultures because of our ethnicity. Though I won’t call it “being alienated” since we have our own community and support system within these subcultures.
Do you think that alternative subcultures can be more inclusive?
Yes, alternative subcultures can be more inclusive. It’s ironic how most of alternative subcultures were started by BIPOC artists and/or take inspiration from BIPOC cultures. Still, many people in these subcultures hold right-winged racist views/ideas which are actually against the root ideas of alternative subcultures.
Because of your aesthetic, have you gotten ignorant claims like you're trying to be white from people of the same ethnic background as you?
Yes, many times!!! Even though a lot of the elements of gothic aesthetics come from my own culture.
Would you agree that white people are often seen as the poster faces of alternative subcultures?
Yes, there is little to no representation of BIPOC people in alt scenes or artistic videos, and even big alt brands prefer white cis women over BIPOC people to model for their brands.
Have you noticed aspects of your culture being discredited or appropriated?
Indeed, I have seen a lot of misinterpretation of things of my cultural significance in alt subcultures, including different types of bindi, nath, haar from all over India.
Do you incorporate elements of your culture into your aesthetic?
Yes! I do. My makeup is inspired by Indian arts and cultural makeup.
Do you feel like South Asians are often overlooked in alternative subcultures?
Yes, there is barely any representation of South Asians.
Growing up, do you wish you had seen a more diverse representation of South Asians in different aesthetics?
Yes, I always wished that, not only in aesthetics, but I also wished goth and alt music represented South Asian culture. That would have been such a nice experience to have while growing up.
What can we do to combat the appropriation of our culture by pop culture and alternative subcultures?
Educate people, help them identify what is cultural appropriation and how to stop it, ask people to support native jewellery artists, and teach them that South Asian tribal jewellery is not gothic jewellery.
Initially, I thought this was a trivial issue but hearing from Willow about the backlash they received and how native South Asian artists are put out of business was eye-opening.
It’s hard for many to see the inherent racism in cultural appropriation because when we think about racism, we picture the most violent forms of it. Theft from POC cultures, discrediting their contributions to subcultures and disrespecting things that hold cultural/religious significance by reducing them to aesthetics is racist, and a remnant of colonialism, no matter how else we try to spin it.