Sikhs In Turbans Are Racially Profiled, But White People In Turbans Is Pioneering Fashion

By: Riya |
February 24, 2018 12:55 pm

At Milan Fashion Week on Wednesday, Gucci’s show looked like an alien takeover with people carrying what looked like baby dragons and severed heads, donning burkhas, babushka headscarves and turbans.

The turban bit didn’t go down well with the audience, and the luxury brand has been heavily criticised after they sent white models down the runway wearing traditional Sikh turbans. Canadian actor and model Avan Jogia began the backlash be tweeting:

Yo.. @gucci … I mess with you guys… but this isn’t a good look for you… could you not find a brown model? pic.twitter.com/INqxwrfB0t

— Avan Jogia (@AvanJogia) February 22, 2018

Following this, thousands have tweeted about their disappointment that the brand had used the Sikh religious symbol as a ‘fashion’ statement. It isn’t that hard to educate yourself on the significance of a religious symbol, Gucci. Even if you don’t want to, here’s a basic heads up: No religious symbol can be used as a mere fashion accessory! This isn’t making a statement, it’s appropriation.

Post 9/11, Sikhs have been victims of horrific hate crimes. The first victim of a hate crime post 9/11 was a sikh man called Balbir Singh Sodhi who was gunned down by a man who wanted to “kill towel-heads”. 15 years later, Manhattan resident Prabhjot Singh was called a ‘terrorist’ and punched because he had a beard and a turban.

Understand the history of the symbol, the prejudice that Sikhs have, and maybe you’ll begin to realize how blinded you are by your own privilege that you can’t even comprehend why this is a problem. Sikhs have been harassed and verbally abused for wearing turbans. They’ve been racially profiled and discriminated against. You can’t just get white people to strut around it a turban and call it vogue. No.

This is unacceptable and offensive @gucci. Wearing another religions article of faith is not fashion, its appropriation! Sikh men are profiled and discriminated against every day for wearing a turban, yet when you put in on a white person, it’s suddenly fashionable and cool?!?! pic.twitter.com/UD0wWjaju5

— Gurpy Colors o(:) (@gurpycolors) February 22, 2018

Wearing a turban as a Sikh makes me smile, privileged & truly honoured. People across the globe battle issues & get bullied because of it. @gucci used the beautiful turban as a fashion accessory, the question remains why a Sikh man couldn’t model for them? We have so many Singhs pic.twitter.com/obqZcZPDcz

— kingkang (@kingkang3211) February 23, 2018

sikh boys come home crying to their parents after being bullied at school saying they want to cut their hair + take their turban off. OH BUT NOW IT’S FARSHUN DARLING @gucci

— Sohan Judge (@SohanJudge) February 22, 2018

Thanks @gucci for entirely appropriating my religion. Ffs, I’m pretty sure you could have found a Sikh model to wear a turban rather than turning it in some causal accessory #notokay pic.twitter.com/23HvT8vkwQ

— Maninder Sachdeva (@thisismani_) February 22, 2018

Gucci does not get to watch the Sikh diaspora cut their hair off to protect themselves, capitalize on what we’ve unwillingly left behind and put it on white models who don’t give a shit.

I will never be okay with it, whether you call it appropriation or ‘appreciation’.

— Sukhnidh (@skhndh) February 22, 2018