“It’s a woman’s choice whether she wants to wear a bindi or not with a saree,” say fashion stylists and those who feel that the controversy surrounding a South Indian clothing brand, Nalli Silks, was unwarranted.
As part of the festive season, the silk saree brand decided to release an advertisement featuring a model wearing no bindi with a saree. As the ad circulated online, it drew sharp criticism from social media users who began to troll the brand, calling it an “outrage”. Several internet users expressed their disappointment with the ad, leading to the trending hashtag #NoBindiNoBusiness on various social media platforms.
A few users also called for a boycott of the brand.
The absence of the bindi in the advertisement became a subject of mockery for the brand. One user remarked, “Take a look at this advertisement. Even a traditional company like Nalli is featuring a model without a bindi, appearing rather sombre. It doesn’t convey the essence of a celebration.” Some users also claimed that the ‘No Bindi’ look resembled mourning, though the ad campaign was celebratory in nature.
Renowned fashion curator Prasad Bidapa stated that it’s every woman’s choice on whether to wear a bindi or not. “Not every woman wants to wear a bindi, and it’s her choice completely, and no man can decide otherwise. Telling a woman what she can or cannot do smacks of patriarchy,” he told News18. “In a styling aspect, if the designers and stylists have dropped the bindi completely, I don’t think there is anything wrong in that. It’s a free world, and everybody has their own choice to make on how they dress,” he told News18.
“Nobody has to wear a bindi or has to wear a burka or a crucifix. I think it is perfectly alright that Nalli can do whatever they please,” he further said.
Actor-politician and member of the National Women’s Commission, Kushboo Sundar, also weighed in. She called the campaign against Nalli “insane” and “inane”. “Saree is an Indian attire, and it is not only Hindus who wear it; even Muslims and Christians wear it as well. I don’t see Muslims or Christians wearing bindis with sarees. I think we need to keep this issue aside, and it is a woman’s personal choice whether she wants to wear a bindi or not,” she reacted.
Sundar pointed out the societal disparity in such issues. On one hand, in the earlier days, when women were widows, they were asked to wear only sarees, but were not allowed to wear a bindi.
“Just because she is a widow, she is not allowed to wear a bindi with the saree? In today’s times when a Muslim woman, like me, wears a bindi, she is asked why is she wearing a bindi. It’s a personal choice, and it’s my choice to wear one with a saree. People should just learn to mind their own business and not create such unnecessary faultlines,” she told News18.
In what was seen as a counter to the backlash, Nalli released another ad campaign featuring women wearing bindis.
The new ad reel featured models dressed in Nalli sarees to give a festive vibe and counter the “mourning” look that they were criticised for. They are seen delicately placing a bindi on their bare forehead, followed by applying kajal, adorning a ‘nath’ (nose ring), and wearing intricate earrings (karn phool). They proceed to enhance their beauty with fragrant flowers in their hair, accompanied by the donning of bangles, necklaces, and various other adornments, capturing the essence of ‘solah shringar’.
Nalli is not the only brand to face such criticism. Recently, HDFC Bank featured ‘Vigil Aunty’ in a concept advertisement aimed to create awareness against cyber fraud and promote a secure form of banking. The woman in the ad was wearing a bindi that resembled the stop sign. Once again, some social media users went on to target it, calling it “anti-Hindu” and mocking Hindu sensitivities.
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