Kriti Sanon’s appearance in a GIVA jewellery commercial for Raksha Bandhan has triggered a wider debate over women’s clothing, cultural traditions and how festivals are represented in contemporary advertising.
In the advertisement, Sanon is seen wearing a modern, bralette-style blouse with a plunging neckline while tying a rakhi to a pet dog. The campaign drew criticism from sections of the public who felt that the styling was inappropriate for a festival associated with family bonds and cultural traditions.
Responding to the criticism, Sanon questioned the tendency to judge a woman’s respect for culture through her clothes. “After all, they are family! Also, when will we stop telling women what to wear?” she said, arguing that ethnic fashion has evolved over the years, but a woman’s relationship with her culture should not be measured by her attire.
She ended her response with a line that quickly became the centre of the controversy: “Culture & traditions are in her heart, not in her neckline!”
But the controversy has opened a larger conversation - one that goes beyond a single advertisement.
In Goa, for some young people, festivals are not merely occasions for fashion statements. They believe celebrations such as Raksha Bandhan or Diwali or Christmas carry spiritual, familial and cultural significance and that clothing should reflect the occasion. They argue that the growing trend of combining traditional elements with revealing or heavily westernised outfits can sometimes reduce cultural symbols to aesthetic accessories.
MBBS student Simran Sardessai said people should have freedom of choice, but maintained that clothing is also influenced by context. “Nobody shall tell others how to dress. But one individual needs to know what one should wear and where,” she said.
She questioned, “Do you wear a bikini to school? Can we go to the office wearing a swimsuit? What you wear in front of your parents and brother can be different from what you wear in front of your friends. What you wear for a festival can be different from what you wear at parties or while dining out,” she said.
Biker and partygoer Pranav Tendulkar took a simpler view: “People should wear clothes as per the occasion and timing. It’s as simple as that.” He also feels that it is pointless to argue about someone’s choice of clothes or lifestyle.
Newly recruited teacher Shivani Kamat said traditions are reflected through values and feelings, but questioned whether clothing too has a role to play. “Dresses should be worn according to places and events,” she said.
Some argue that clothing should never become a weapon to judge a person’s respect for culture or religion. They believe faith, traditions and cultural values are reflected through a person’s beliefs, conduct and actions, rather than the length of a dress or the depth of a neckline. For them, a woman’s choice of clothing should not automatically be equated with a lack of respect for tradition.
Fashion model Nia D’Cunha said creative freedom and cultural sensitivity need not be mutually exclusive. “You can take creative freedom but should not change the tradition. Although women should be free to choose their clothes, the debate around traditional festivals and modern advertising is complex and multifaceted,” she said.
A homemaker, Mira Rajput, feels that society must recognise that cultural pride does not belong to a particular neckline, hemline, or style of dress. “Let us not judge someone based on their outfit. One might be comfortable wearing revealing outfits on all occasions, but that does not justify that she is against tradition or culture,” she reacted.
The real question, perhaps, is not whether tradition or modernity should win. It is whether both can coexist without one being used to police the other. Festivals evolve, fashion evolves, and families evolve. But we need to acknowledge evolution without reducing culture to a costume.
