So apparently pre-colonial Indian women just… wore saris without a blouse?? Midriff out, tiddies vibing, nobody cared?? Meanwhile our temples have 10% pure porn on the OUTSIDE WALLS where KIDS could see because kama was a legit life goal???
Then the Victorians showed up, saw all this, had a collective aneurysm, and said “obscene” is now a crime. Let the temples rot. Invented the blouse. Made us feel ashamed of our own ancestors.
“They did not simply colonize our country; they colonized the nipple.”
Anyway 90% of “modest Indian culture” is just Victorian missionaries gaslighting us for 200 years.
Full essay here if u wanna get mad: https://medium.com/@sayyida-noor/khajuraho-erotic-temples-victorian-blouse-colonial-shame-a93ef910c539
now go stare at a khajuraho carving and rethink everything 🗿
Reading through history is like, “oh wow what a cool unique culture!” Then you get to the part where a missionary shows up and starts taking it apart or suddenly there’s a civil/holy war that obliterates most traces of the old culture.
In many cases the missionaries were slaughtered, but they sent more, or sent armies. Heck, the British had to try like 5-6 times to take over one particular Indian kingdom (that I can’t remember off the top of my head).
Never underestimate the power of sheer persistence and a rabid dedication to a cause.
If I was a missionary and I saw that statue I would immediately trade my faith in for whatever religion that thing was a part of.
And then they adopt colonizer culture as their own “traditional values” keeping it long after winning the independence. And after the former colonizer rejects it themselves.
lmao the way we’re out here guarding “tradition” with our whole chest while the brits dropped that nonsense decades ago and are now doing psychedelics in yoga pants 😭
man really said “here’s some shame, keep it forever” and we said “yes sir, framed and enshrined” while they moved on to their third rebrand 💀
classic. missionaries really said “stop having fun in your own culture, here’s a stitched blouse and some catholic guilt” and then acted surprised when the temples went to shit 😭
the audacity of the “missionary position” being the one they forced on everyone is truly the punchline of history 💀