“Jai Ho” Summer Trend Sparks Outrage as Brown People Feel Threatened in the UK

A recent trend on TikTok, where users are posting videos to the 2009 Pussycat Dolls version of the Hindi song “Jai Ho”, has sparked outrage among the brown community in the UK. The song, which translates to “may victory prevail”, has been used as a party anthem, with users posting videos of themselves getting dressed and chugging beers to the sound.

The trend, led by British YouTuber and TikToker Flossi Clegg, has garnered over 3 million views and has been met with criticism from brown TikTok users, who are calling out Clegg for her insensitivity and lack of understanding of the ongoing racist violence in the UK.

The riots in England and parts of Northern Ireland, which began in late July and early August, have seen widespread racist violence and attacks on brown people, with many businesses and homes being looted and destroyed. The violence has been fueled by misinformation and a lack of understanding of the Muslim and brown communities.

Many brown people in the UK are feeling threatened and unsafe, with some reporting that they are being targeted and attacked simply because of their race. The “Jai Ho” summer trend has been seen as a slap in the face, with many feeling that it is tone-deaf and insensitive to the current situation.

“This trend is extremely perplexing; there’s nothing ‘Jai Ho’ about the lives we’re living,” said Mehek Bukhari, a British Pakistani cultural commentator. “As upsetting as it is, I’m not shocked as there’s a pattern of people in privilege absorbing other cultures in a way that suits their aesthetic and humour, but refusing to say anything when it comes to material reality.”

The trend has also been compared to the recent Scandinavian scarf debacle, where an employee from Bipty Fashion Rental shared screenshots of white women wearing long, flowy dresses with sheer scarves or dupattas draped across their shoulders and over their chest. The trend was criticized for its cultural appropriation and ignorance of the significance of the dupatta.

The “Jai Ho” summer trend highlights a privileged white urge to only accept parts of brown culture that they deem desirable and appropriate, without much thought or care to the community that the art centers. It is a reminder that the UK has a long history of denying racism and relabeling it as “small groups of bigoted individuals”.

As Sharan Dhaliwal, founder and CEO of South Asian magazine Burnt Roti, said, “The riots are a culmination of anti-immigration rhetoric fed to us by the government and media. It’s no surprise that people are filled with the narrative that immigrants = bad. This is the information they’ve been told.”

The trend has also been met with criticism from brown people who are tired of being erased and ignored. “Seeing trends like the ‘Jai Ho’ summer feels like a slap in the face; I’m tired of carrying the onus to consistently educate people. It’s time that they take responsibility for their actions, we need to move away from people of colour having to spoon-feed people with privilege,” said Bukhari.

The “Jai Ho” summer trend is a reminder that the UK has a long way to go in terms of understanding and respecting the brown community. It is a call to action for people of privilege to take responsibility for their actions and to listen to the voices of the brown community.