u steal our culture, cos urs is dependent on bloodshed

for a long time, many South and Southeast Asian traditions were devalued, partly due to colonial influence and later globalization, where Western aesthetics were treated as the “standard.” Traditional items were sometimes labeled “backward” or “unsophisticated.” however recently we have been seeing a rise in SEAsian jeweleries, however, they have been given different names and yet again, colonised and stolen to fit into the Western fashion industry. balloon pants being dhuti in bangla, boho bangles being chudiya, and 'beaded pumps' being juttis even though they are 300 years older than them. 

what’s happening now isn’t the same as formal colonial rule, but it does share a familiar pattern: cultural items (like juttis, chudiyas, bindis, mehndi, etc.) are taken out of their original context and reframed as “aesthetic,” “exotic,” or “boho” then circulated globally, often by people who colonised us in the first place. the difference today is speed and scale, driven by platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

this essay will attempt to breakdown the systematic silent colonisation of SEAsian cultures while also exposing the hypocrisy often seen in media towards SEAsians. 

Chapter One: Colonisation

An article by Lee Jun Jie on the mental barriers inherited by the formation of the ASEAN countries, she said: "Unrestricted by any form of political borders or allegiance to a single locality, Southeast Asians constantly moved across the region."  

Colonialism and ASEAN Identity: Inherited “mental barriers” hindering the formation of a collective ASEAN identity (Lee Jun Jie, 2018)

the article talks about the pre-colonialism South East Asia, where each country have their own rich and bright history, their own freedom and cultures untouched by the west. however, that would change soon enough with the famous Western colonisation of SEAsia.

often times when this is brought up, people do not fail to bring out how other countries have also been colonised yet got back onto their feet. let's take UK for an example for this topic. UK has also been colonised, even though it's not popularly known. one of the first colonisers in the UK were the Romans in 4AD, and the latest being the Normans in 1066. let's take a dive at what the Normans did in the UK, and later talk about what the UK did in India, both which were systematic colonisation, however two different results were brought out from both of these, rather parallel issues.

the Normans, replacing the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy, imposed a rigid feudal system, and building extensive castles (like the Tower of London) and cathedrals, ultimately making the UK what it is today. the Normans replaced Anglo-Saxon clergy with French bishops and rebuilt Anglo-Saxon churches and cathedrals in the Romanesque style (e.g., Durham Cathedral), demonstrating power and piety. remember, the Normans came to the UK to stay, therefore, they made the UK into a powerhouse from the beginning. 

What Did The Normans Do To Us? (Professor John Hudson, 2011)

however the Norman's doings does not stop there. the Normans also, systematically stripped the English aristocracy of their land, transferring it to French followers. by 1086, only about 5% of land remained in English hands. not to mention the Christian colonisation as well. 

i bring this up to show that colonialism is not a one sided thing. it has happened in almost every country, almost everyone has suffered at the hands of another country for one reason or another and no comparison is being done to the suffering of any of the victims of such horrid crimes in this essay. 

similar to the Normans, the British colonised India in phases rather than at once, lasting it to as soon as 1947. the intiital beginning being the East India Company's expansion after 1757, followed by direct British Crown rule—known as the British Raj—from 1858 to 1947. 

in the book Education About Asia by Fritz Blackwell, he talks about how the British brought education into Asia, along with bigotry, racism while stealing our resources. the book also delves into the use of racism in India as a tactic of the British soldiers, often inspiring mutiny. but what did the British do to India?

the UK transfered India from a major manufacturing economy into a source of raw materials and a market for British goods. they exploited resources, imposed harsh economic policies, created lasting religious divisions, and built railways and administration, while causing massive famines and systematically dismantling traditional industries. because remember, unlike the Normans, they were not here to stay.

workers endured long hours in high temperatures, meager rations, and poor housing, which many historians refer to as a form of "new slavery." this is where the term 'Dirty Indian' or 'Poopjeet' (recently) originates from.

Indian migration and indentured labour. (BBC)

the colonisation of India was truly beyond the imagination of one who has not been educated in this matter or refused to educate themselves about it, giving into the propaganda to hate the country and their people for something they were not at fault at. India, recently, has not been in the right side of history. being a zionist, homophobic, nationalist and corrupt nation, they deserve all the valid criticisms they get. however, that does not give anyone the right to steal, remake, or fund the racism that has been so very present in 2026. 

Chapter Two: Balloon Pants and.. everything else.

this brings me to my point of silent colonisation. 

silent colonisation is not a word that is exactly coined by anyone, but we see it almost everyday. it's something that has now turned into something more wholesome and rather focused on sharing culture, rather than exploiting it. which is more often than not the case. 

for example, Bibi Russel, an international model and famous fashion designer brought the traditionally handwoven fabric, Jamdani into the western media. she brought the history of it and how it's produced in Bangladesh, how the rarity of these fabrics and intricate designs also deserve limelight into the Western media. since her campaign, many Western designers have incorporated the Jamdani sarees into their own silhouette. 

however, the 'Balloon pants' and 'Italian beaded pumps' are actually just Indian and mainly South East Asian cultural clothes that people refuse to acknowledge due to three main reasons: internalised racism, hypocrisy, and lack of education/knowledge about their history.

Juttis originated in he Punjab region (spanning modern-day India and Pakistan) over 500 years ago, evolving from traditional footwear worn by ordinary people into ornate, royal attire during the Mughal era. Celebrating Punjab's Jutti Heritage. (Annaporna Vidi)

Juttis are now worn daily by people in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan for day to day wear or with traditional clothes for an effortless and chic look. however, we don't hear about this in the media. we don't especially see about this either. we never look into it, we never question the evolution of how it was worn, why it was worn, how it was made? we only see what we know and we go along with it, because.. it's easier that way.

Juttis often resemble the European: pumps. Pumps are a classic low-cut and slip on shoes much like the traditional Juttis, however it has one very important distinction. it was developed in Europe in the 1870s and have been popular in a variety of versions ever since. Complete History of Pumps. this is the more known and famous version of the shoes as we know it. often times, we also call them Ballet flats now. 

however, pumps and juttis are two majorly differently things if we bothered to inspect it a bit closer. 

after World War II (1939–45) women embraced ultrafeminine styles and wore pumps with higher, slimmer heels. by the 1950s women teetered on pointy-toed pumps with four-inch-high stiletto heels. But throughout the 1960s and 1970s pumps became more practical for walking, with lower, thicker heels and rounded or squared toes. The Complete History of Costume and Fashion: From Ancient Egypt to the Present Day.

pumps are often made simple with just leather and no decorations but a bow in the centre in the recent times.

Juttis defer from that. they involve tanning leather, cutting upper/sole pieces, intricate hand embroidery (using zari, beads, or silk), stitching parts together with tough thread, and shaping on wooden lasts. What Is Jutti? (Fairy Fitoor). so we see a stark difference in the two shoes. 

in classic European style, the pumps are minimalist, whereas Juttis are extravagant and decorated with different beads. 

it is not 'Italian beaded pumps,' it's Juttis.

the denial of the Indian or SEAsian cultures speak more volumes now more than ever. after being colonised, beat down and made fun of for decades, stealing our cultures and giving it different names to make it appealing does not make things any easier to remove the ongoing rise in racism towards brown people. 

for example, we see a lot of Americans talk about Victorian Era clothing as well as Medieval Era aesthetics when these periods were specifically set in the UK. we see them putting the title 'Bridgerton dress' on a simple dress with short sleeves, but never on the accurate 19th century dress. we see them actively make fun of the UK's cultures, while appropriating their aesthetics, say from the Regency Era. while the Victorian Era was taking place in the UK, America had been through a civil war and the middle class were taking over and rebelling against the corrupt nation, they also went through industrialisation and the expansion of the 'Old West.'

 many Americans choose to ignore their own history for the sake of something they find aesthetically appealing. the beautiful poofy dresses, the noble lords and ladies, but they ignore the fact that common people worked 12–14 hours a day, six to seven days a week, often for meagre wages that barely covered food. they ignore that children as young as 5 years old were working in mines (have we never read Oliver Twist..), they ignore the rapid slums that were happening and the unsanitary conditions that it caused. or, maybe they just never bothered to research it.

this is one of the many forms of silent colonisation, ignoring the true history behind something while claiming it as your own, or as a look/aesthetic. 

Chapter Three: What to do?

it's simple. EDUCATE YOURSELF. the time it takes for us to learn about a culture is nothing compared to the knowledge we have gained. believe me, it's not embarrassing to learn about these things! in fact, it's entertaining! i apologise if i came across as passive aggressive during this article, it's truly tiring to see my culture being stripped off of my country and my people and being handed into the West yet again. 

however, if someone were to wear Jutti without knowing how they were born, i would not smite them. i don't expect everyone to know how they are made, i don't expect everyone to know that Scandenavian scarf is just a orna (bangla) or a dupatta (hindi). i don't expect them to know any of that, but i do expect them to learn and understand when i bring it up, instead of blatantly refusing the culture and heritage of the item. 

this has been done to several cultures, not only SEAsians. black people have seen their braids being appropriated daily for reasons unknown, they have seen white people use AAVE and not get called 'Ghetto' or some other nasty words. this has been done to the British as mentioned before. this has been done to the Arabs, this has been done to every culture imaginable. at some point, we have to consider opening a book and reading it for the sake of our own intelligence. 

culture is a wonderful thing. it invites and welcomes people and it connects different cultures together. what we know today as a Cummerbund would not be possible without the Kamarband in India, what we know today as the print plaid (or tartan) would not be possible without Scotland. culture is something that binds and is interwoven with areas that are now thousands, and thousands of miles away from each other. culture is something that eventually brings us together. so respectfully, please educate yourself, take a minute to learn and google things, read some articles and some books before we jump onto the internet and say some things we know will embarrass us deeply.

culture, at the end of the day, is always something to be proud of, no matter where we are from.