I understood the intent of your question and it was a good topic to explore!

@@thewhitehindu 😊

A plastic isn't important, but the tilak is important for a hindu, isn't obligatory but it is important. If Indian women don't do it, isn't our problem. I know a lot indians don't even know good a large mantra, or any hindu shastras but their title. We should not take a nacionality as an example.

It’s so nice to hear I’m not alone!

@@thewhitehindu same ❤️🙏🏻

My religion is an intregal part of who I am. Hinduism is the core of my being. I will never be and could not ever be not Hindu. I don't know quite how to reconcile that I have advantages from not always being percieved as Hindu. I wrestle with that every day. Wearing a bindi is not a fashion statement for me at all, but a way to indicate that I stand with my Hindu brothers and sisters and do my best not to use my light skin as an advantage. I am not obsessed with it or wearing it for a time, it is my life and it has been forever. I was born and raised in a family that practiced Hindu philosophy.

@@thewhitehindu Hey. Apologies if I sounded aggressive with my comment, I did not mean to. This one will be bit longer, I want to give context for misunderstanding your words. Firstly, appreciate you for responding respectfully rather than getting offended because some social media people delete Indian comments when we keep our views on their white platform when it does not align with their insensitive mindset towards other ethnicities. I respect your views and your beliefs. I stand with you when you talk about solidarity. But you must have seen on social media platforms how loosely solidarity word is being thrown around and how people not of south Asian decent are using it to define their blatant disrespect and appropriation of Indian heritage and religions. Indian heritage is rich and complex yet it had been reduced into global to-do ‘desi aesthetic’ trend by white influencers. These people wear sari, Bindi, suit and mimic how ‘desi people’ act without understanding what they are doing is cosplaying observations of racist stereotypes of Indians that they have never lived / experienced and are presenting it to the world. when Indians make such videos it’s to express ‘how it felt’ and never ‘how we act’ - that’s the difference. These white influencers are normalizing ‘cosplaying’ Indians globally that my heritage has been reduced to mockery. This leads to other people viewing it as such, they see views and engagement and they start doing it. WHEN DID MY ETHNICITY BECAME A TREND or JOB? how is this acceptable or even humorous? There are white youtubers who are making videos validating Indian culture appropriation by western celebrities while themselves wearing Indian clothes and religions aspects and are actively deleting Indian comments when we keep our concerns. They make Indian heritage available to the world in wrong manners without the inclusion of us people of heritage. And then these people go ‘we gate keep our culture’. We shared our teachings and see how they have exploited yoga & mediation. They have made spiritualism into some bohemian aesthetic. Western - European world is literally claiming Indian heritage be it clothes, jewelry and religious aspects, our teachings w.r.t health, skin - hair care [naming just a few] as theirs, changing the names, white-washing it, representing it as some original exotic accessory & monetizing it. POC are not favored by algorithm, all the world sees is this white person cosplaying Indians, using our traditional clothes as costumes, them wearing saree and giving history lessons, trying to be our ‘voice’ or ‘savior’ and explaining Indian culture when we have been talking about it since ages but since a white person is doing it, it’s making all sense. These influencers take so much from Indian heritage, they have reduced my ethnicity to their social media ‘desi aesthetics’. This blurs the line between appropriation and appreciation. That is why I misunderstood you as white-coating religious & cultural aspects that has Indian origins. There are people who say ‘culture appropriation is BS and wear whatever you want’, to them I want to ask “to your white skin every other religion and ethnicity is ‘available’ as ‘options’.. pick-choose-wear-use-remove-keep on shelf-walk away, all from the comfort of your place, with never lived experience and zero consequences. Its all fun and games - costume aesthetics for you but for us natives of the heritage this equation does not even exist. We are born into it and we live with it and everything that comes alongside; good & bad … so how is this fair?” My ethnicity is not anybody’s cosplay, my culture is not an aesthetic, my heritage is not for these influencers to treat as fashion statement props for views. my religion is not a fashion accessory, my country is not some exotic Bollywood concept for white platform. My ethnicity is not their cash source. I am not a concept. MY ETHICITY IS NOT A THEME. If you want to talk about it on your platform, you can use this comment. Don’t feel burdened though only do if you are comfortable because social media is rough terrain. I just want to have an Indians perspective on how much its hurts to see my Indian heritage be mocked globally. Also, I know this does not define everyone because I have myself met some amazing people from other countries genuinely enjoying & experiencing our culture. We are NOT against SHARING & EXPERIENCING but “STEALING & EXPLOITING”. Wish you a good day. Namaskaram🙏.