Bollywood-Inspired Asoka Makeup Trend Shines a Spotlight on South Asian Beauty

There's a new makeup trend taking social media by storm, with videos with tens of millions of views and influencers are going viral just for trying it, and Canadians have some of the most popular versions.

THE Asoka makeup trend generated hundreds of thousands of posts on TikTok. In the videos, the creators do their hair, makeup and dress for an Indian bride, to the music of a version of the song.San Sanafrom the 2001 Bollywood film Ashoka with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Shah Rukh Khan.

“This viral trend pays homage to the film but also to the timeless beauty of Indian culture and its influence on makeup and fashion,” notesTimes of Indiaan Indian news site.

The trend is not so much about the film itself, a biopic withmixed reviews, receiving 6.4/10 on IMDB and an average of 69 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. According to Times of India, it's a sort of homage to Khan's character, who “sports ancient Indian clothing and bold kohl-rimmed eyeliner,” but with an Indian bridal twist (for this reason , it is also called the Indian bridal makeup trend).

The videos are complex and highly stylized, involving rapid cuts, synchronized hand gestures, facial expressions, lip syncing and head movements, as well as bright colors and makeup similar to some of the styles featured in the film, including the bindi. Creators from around the world posted that it sometimes takes them eight hours or more to film their clips.

Influencer Durka Murugananthan, 27, from Stouffville, Ontario, posted a video from last week that has been viewed nearly two million timesand a secondTamil version of the trend As of Monday morning, it already had more than 112,400 views as of Monday evening.

It's not the Asoka makeup trend, but it's been amazing to see the rise of so many South Asian influencers and South Asian representation in the beauty industry, Murugananthan told CBC News .

“We deserve this space as much as the next person, but I feel like we're just starting to break that barrier, and that's really nice to see,” Murugananthan said.

Bollywood aesthetics

Indian cinema or Hindi-language cinema, also known as Bollywood, is the world's largest film industry and is known for its song and dance sequences, romantic dramas and fantasy fashion. Kareena KapoorKhan is a A list icon in this space, both for her roles, she has starred in at least 70 films, according to IndianExpress and for her influence on fashion(HELLO! India calls her “a true blue fashion icon on the silver screen.”)

The Asoka trend is not surprising given the importance of the aesthetic element to Bollywood and TikTok's preoccupation with beauty and makeup routines, said Faiza Hirji, associate professor in the department of communication and communication studies. media arts from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

Think about all the trending “Get Ready With Me” videos, where influencers simply show off their skincare and makeup routines, and the “Sephora Kids” trend of kids obsessed with skin products. It is therefore not surprising that a look which emphasizes heavy, stylized makeup, glamor and prioritizes beauty (many Bollywood stars were former beauty queens) would take off, Hirji told CBC News.

“As a general trend, I sometimes wonder how much of a priority beauty has become on TikTok, but if it's going to become a priority, I think it's great to have a diverse look as well,” Hirji said , who is also the author ofDreaming in Canada: South Asian youth, Bollywood and belonging.

She noted that there were also more South Asian influencers Recently, more and more women feel empowered to use these channels to promote themselves. For example, Indian makeup influencerDebasree Banerjeehas fans all over the world. Now that influence is seeping in, Hirji said.

“It follows naturally, I think they're going to reflect the things that influence them, which I think is amazing.”

Murugananthan said many girls look up to her and other South Asian beauty influencers. Being a role model in beauty is important to her because it's not something she experienced growing up.

“We haven't seen it. We haven't even seen it in the mainstream media, we haven't seen it on TV, we haven't seen it anywhere,” she said .

“Now to see us being able to do this as a career, and just seeing us passionate about something other than, you know, becoming a doctor, I think it's amazing.”

The problem of exoticism

While Hirjia agrees that the trend is positive, she finds it a bit problematic that people who aren't Indian are replicating a look that has cultural significance for many people simply because it's exotic or trendy, or treated more like a suit.

This is similar to some criticism on social media, where people suggest that some of the videos posted by people from other backgrounds constitute cultural appropriation.

“Where are all these non-Desis finding cultural clothing,” one asked. no one wrote on TikTok.

“Don’t even get me started on all the non-South Asians who are quietly mocking this trend,” another person said in a video.

It's complicated, Hirji says, because often Indians who wear traditional clothing are singled out or criticized, and many people of South Asian descent who grow up in the West are taught to feel self-conscious. Then, when a non-Indian person wears Indian jewelry or clothing, it seems to become more culturally acceptable.

“To me, there is something problematic when some people who wear it are subject to racist reactions and others are not,” Hirji said.

That said, some of the most popular Asoka trend videos have been created by South Asian influencers, like Canadian Dhivya Sri, an Ottawa-based beauty influencer. Her video, posted three days ago, already had 33.4 million views as of Monday evening. A behind the scenes videoof its creation has 37.3 million views.

“You guys are blowing this video up,” Sri laughs in a video posted just after posting the original, in which she explains that it took eight hours from start to finish.

“Last week I saw a lot of these videos on my for you page, and I really, really wanted to do it because it looked like so much fun.”