Choose Your Clothing, Choose Your Identity
There is a difference between American, Indian, and Indian American cultures... and [I'm] realizing the one that fits me best, and where I'm most comfortable, and where I'm most me is the Indian American culture.
- Rachana Khandelwal
Like other immigrants, Indians move between different cultural worlds. They often express different parts of their identities in different situations.
Sonia Desai, a Charlotte bank employee who grew up in New York, spends most of her time in American-style clothes. But she wears a salwar kameez to Indian community events, and donned a sari for her wedding.
American business suit
In U.S. office jobs, Indian women generally wear American-style clothes to work.
Salwar Kameez
Women who wish to hold onto Indian tradition often wear this outfit called a Salwar Kameez. Note the pants - easier to move about in than a sari.
It used to be worn only in Northern India. But today, women from every part of India wear it. Young women often favor glamorous, updated versions with shorter sleeves and lower necklines than traditional outfits.
Sari
Most women in India wear saris — 6 yards of cloth wrapped around one's body.
Today most Indian women in the U.S. now wear saris only on special occasions.
