YES. For the love of Jesus stop white knighting.Ā
From a historical website about the history of Saris, from a person WHO MAKES THEM FOR A LIVINGĀ
āVisitors seduced by the vibrancy and mythology of saris can shop for one to take home. Unlike other traditional garments in some cultures, the sari isnāt reserved for people of one nationality or set of beliefs. āI donāt think itās disrespectful for Westerners to wear a sari,ā says Chishti. āItās more of an honor.ā There is nothing wrong with sewing a dazzling one into a skirt or displaying it like art on a wall, says Sethi.ā
Website 2 - a website dedicated to askingĀ āis wearing them disrepectful?ā
Is it disrespectful to wear a sari? No, not at all. Based on any occasion, as a daily wear, when you are not Indian and irrespective of religion, it is never disrespectful to wear a sari. In fact, it enhances the situation particularly if you are attending an Indian wedding. In cases where a theme is already set and hosts do expect certain culture, check with hosts before wearing.
Website 3 - Googleās Arts and Culture website, dedicate to educating people about different things around the globe concerning art and culture
5. The sari is easy to wear ā and can be worn by anyone
Wearing a sari is more akin to making a sandwich or sending an email than making a soufflĆ© or launching a rocket. It has the appearance and reputation of being difficult to wear, but ask any one of the millions of women who wear one every day ā itās not. The sari transcends socio-economic divisions and is seen as an egalitarian garment...It canāt speak on behalf of all India but 95% of our survey suggested that {people from India} are open to anyone wearing saris.Ā
(sari vs saree for reference sake is just a matter of preference for spelling).
Literally the only people fake outraged by this (I call it fake outrage because people only getĀ āmadā about it when they see people online but totally forget aobut it in everyday life otherwise) are white girls on twitter, tumblr, and other social medias believing they areĀ ācoming in and saving the day on behalf of people from Indiaā. STOP THE WHITE KNIGHTING.
For starters, Saris have over 100 different ways to wear them. To buy them traditionally tends to be very rare and expensive because of how hard it is to make these garments. Second, theyāre becoming more common in areas close to India, like Sri Lanka.Ā
Also, also, according to Hinduism reincarnation beliefs, we have the ability to reincarnate into any person on this Earth, so any skin color. Some people wear them to show their pride in Hinduism. Some wear it to honor India ancestors. Some wear it just because it is a beautiful piece of fabric.Ā
Like anything, wear it with respect. Wear it with pride.Ā