Rapper Azealea Banks didn’t know it at the time, but when she attacked former One Direction member Zayn Malik as a “curry scented bitch,” she’s started a movement and united South Asians across the country.
Banks Twitter account has since been suspended since her attack on the Pakistani-British singer, but the outrage over her tweet has not.
The hashtag quickly trended as an affirmation of South Asian pride.
Erm, #CurryScentedBitch who?
P.S – Indian food is life. Okay thanks. Bye ?? pic.twitter.com/3VOk0TSUbi
— Kaushal Beauty (@KaushalBeauty) May 11, 2016
She says #curryscentedbitch like its a bad thing. ?? Girl bye ?????? pic.twitter.com/Wfa2zfXJEL
— Irene Khan (@irenesarah) May 11, 2016
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Just your average punjabi #curryscentedbitch and proud #5rivers pic.twitter.com/w1WtNsQss0
— TrisDhaliwal (@trisdhaliwal) May 11, 2016
This all started with Bank accusing Malik of stealing her music, then going off the deep end. What has happened since then has been something beautiful.
As Ravleen Kaur wrote for Brown Girl, “Brown Twitter reclaimed the insult by posting sarcastic tweets accompanied by selfies as a way to steal away the power of degradation from Banks.”
Jenn Fang of Reappropriate called the hashtag campaign an expression of “South Asian American womanhood.”
Arti Patel in the Huff Post said it this way:
There was nothing more empowering than seeing badass brown women reclaiming their silk sarees, their gold tikkas and most importantly, their brown skin using the hashtag #curryscentedbitch. Eating, cooking and smelling like curry isn’t disgusting, ugly or unattractive, it’s just a tiny part of being South Asian.
Sweeeet
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RE: South Asians united around #curryScentedbitches: Oh my that poor troubled child, she has been attacking everyone. I hope she never gets her account back!!