The salwar kameez is a large part of feminine identity for desi women, and also usually associated with cultural identity for desi-American women. My mother and I immigrated to the United States in 2003, and settled down in Queens, New York. Luckily for us, there were many other South Asian families in the area, and our transition to American life was a bit easier. Even though through time, my family was urged to assimilate in many cases, we resisted. The salwar kameez that my mom wears, I feel, is very symbolic of that. It is not your basic American casual wear, but for South Asian people like me, it was normal. There were many people that would make fun of us for not wearing ‘American’ style clothing, but my mother did not care. During my middle school and beginning of high school years, I was embarrassed about it. I believed that it was tacky, and this was because of what my peers would tell me about my culture. Little by little other people started ingraining in my head that my cultural wear was weird and tasteless. However, as I grew up, I realized that I had been pushing my mom, and a culture that I deeply identified with, away. Right now, I have learned to be proud of it, and personally, it represents the cultural growth and acceptance within myself and my mother’s and my journey from our home country to the U.S.

– Sami M.

Relationship:  Im/migrant who arrived as a child Im/migrant who arrived as a child