A woman named Zoha said in a TikTok video that she noticed far more stares than usual after she and a relative went shopping while still wearing traditional Desi clothes. She posted the clip from the account @zohas.vlogs. The video had reached about 430,700 views, 70,100 likes, and more than 400 comments.
Zoha appeared on camera with long dark hair, seated in what looked like a shopping mall and wearing a bright yellow embroidered outfit. On-screen text in the video read, “you don’t realize how racist people are until u go out in your desi clothes.”
She turned the camera toward several shopping bags and said, “Look at this, we got Michael Kors, we got Coach, we got Kate Spade, we got Gap. Like, we kind of went all out.” The video also showed another woman, dressed in a pink and red Desi outfit, holding a Kate Spade bag.
A child in a store pointed her family out as Indian, she said
Zoha said they were still in those clothes because they had come from a social event. “But we’re literally here in our desi clothes because we’re coming from a dawat (invitation),” she stated in the video. She said the public reaction stood out to her. “Let me tell you, never in my life have I gotten this many looks when I’ve been outside. People be racist. Like, godd–n,” she said.
She then described one moment inside a store that she said stayed with her. Zoha claimed a child noticed them and spoke up. She said the child called out, “look at those Indians, the Indians are here!”
She then imitated the child a second time, saying, “Mommy, look, the Indians are here!” She finished the account by saying, “Let me tell you, that’s kind of- that kind Kind of here, right here, bro.”
Some viewers compared the reaction she described with how similar clothing is treated at large festivals. One commenter wrote, “But when they see it at Coachella it’s chic.” Another commenter added, “and when they wear it, it’s scandinavian boho.”
Other viewers pushed back on her reading of the stares. One commenter wrote, “Why do you asssume they’re racist?” A commenter who identified as Desi said they change how they dress when they are abroad. They wrote, “As a desi, this is why when I’m abroad I wear their local clothes and assimilate, I don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb when I’m outside.”
Another commenter said they look because of the outfits themselves. They wrote, “I look because I’m so jealous how amazing your outfits look & youre all just so pretty with the prettiest hair.” For the woman, the stares were one form of public scrutiny, as a mom was told to go back to Mexico during a racist confrontation at a trampoline park.
One commenter argued that the child’s words may not have been hostile. They wrote, “A racist will always have a racist view, and make these racist vids. Don’t assume. The kids maybe was excited to see the beautiful outfits.” Another commenter wrote, “Scared to admire other ethnicities incase they label me racist.” Such public confrontations over perceived racism can escalate, as when a North Carolina woman was harassed for 30 minutes in what viewers called a racist rant.
Published: Sep 7, 2026 04:15 pm