Halloween 2016 Belonged To The Bad Beti Movement, Combining Desi Pride With Gory Make-Up

As the clock ticked down to Halloween and we found ourselves once again without a costume, the mild panic and dejection was worth it all just to see the new trend taking flight across the seas--one that fuses the classic scare factor of a macabre skeleton with the glorious beauty of traditional Indian outfits. The #badbeti movement swept across Instagram and people couldn’t get enough of it.

Image Source: Instagram

It began with an illustration by the extremely talented artist, Maria Qamar a.k.a Hatecopy whose wonderfully opinionated work we have featured before. Her gold-laden, unapologetically Indian skull has been catching the eye of desi girls all over the world. Professional make-up artist, Jasmine Lakhesar used it as inspiration for a stunningly unique look which the people of Instagram have been recreating in a myriad of creative ways.

Image Source: Instagram

The illustration is part of a new exhibition in collaboration with the equally talented artist, Babneet Lakhesar who goes by the name BabbuThePainter. Both girls are of Indian origin but have lived their whole lives in Canada, and this new series aims to bridge the gap between the two worlds that define them.

Image Source: Instagram

It addresses the need people feel to assimilate new cultures thereby compromising their cultural identity. As Babneet says ‘I don’t give an “Indian twist” to work/myself. I’m an Indian – Canadian who builds a bridge between my two cultures to create meaningful art. This isn’t a skull that I put an “Indian Twist” on, it’s more than that.’ This issue of being treated as exotic when trying to accept your own culture is a struggle that a lot of immigrant children face and #badbeti is trying to remove the stigma attached to embracing and expressing your own culture.

With the movement well underway there are plenty of badass desi women proudly declaring their national pride and shutting down haters once and for all.