KATSEYE’s Lara Raj sparked a debate after wearing kumkum and sindoor at Paris Fashion Week. Netizens now recall Selena Gomez’s 2013 Come & Get It era, where she wore a bindi. People compared both stars for using Indian symbols in pop styling, leading to many online conversations about culture and identity.
KATSEYE's Lara Raj's recent fashion look has sparked a debate over her use of kumkum and sindoor. As the discussion unfolds, netizens are revisiting Selena Gomez's controversial bindi look from her 2013 Come & Get It era.
KATSEYE's Lara Raj found herself at the centre of an online debate after her Paris Fashion Week debut featured a prominent red kumkum along with traditional Indian jewellery. While Lara later explained the personal and cultural significance behind her look, the discussion has also prompted netizens to revisit another pop star's earlier use of an Indian cultural symbol. Selena Gomez's 2013 Come & Get It era has resurfaced online, particularly her performance at the MTV Movie Awards, where she wore a sparkling bindi with South Asian-inspired choreography and styling. The moment had sparked controversy at the time, with Hindu groups questioning the use of the religious symbol as fashion.
Why Selena Gomez is being mentioned amid Lara Raj's 'Sindoor' debate
More than a decade later, Selena Gomez's performance has resurfaced in online discussions following Lara's recent fashion appearance. The two moments are being compared because both involved incorporating Indian cultural symbols into high-profile fashion or music appearances.
However, the contexts are different. Lara has described kumkum as a deeply personal part of her upbringing and heritage, while her mother has also spoken about the freedom to understand, reinterpret and reclaim traditions.
The comparison has nevertheless prompted renewed conversations online about cultural symbolism, personal identity and the line between fashion and tradition.
As Lara Raj's kumkum look sparked debate, some netizens began revisiting Selena Gomez's 2013 Come & Get It era, when the singer wore a bindi during her performances. Social media users drew parallels between the two pop stars, particularly over the criticism surrounding their use of Indian cultural elements in mainstream pop styling.
One netizen shared Selena's performance while commenting, "the ones hating on Lara Raj rn definitely wouldn't have survived this era of Selena Gomez in 2013." Another appeared to praise Gomez's earlier styling, writing, "genuinely no hate to Lara but nobody, I repeat, nobody has ever done it like Selena."
The comparison also prompted users to push back against criticism of Lara. One commenter pointed out, "Fr people are acting like she's the first one to ever bring traditional elements into modern pop styling," while another wrote, "exactly. real desi people likes never hated this roman empire."
At the same time, the reactions showed that the comparison between Selena and Lara is not entirely straightforward. While Selena's 2013 bindi became controversial because of its religious significance, Lara's current debate centres specifically on her use of sindoor and her explanation that the styling is connected to her Indian upbringing and heritage.
Some users also questioned why Lara's look was receiving criticism at all. One wrote, "She is just wearing a bindi, any girls married or unmarried can wear bindi." Another said, "Bindi is aesthetic and it's being worn by her exactly where it's supposed to be - on the forehead."
This comparison has consequently turned the conversation into a broader discussion about how Indian-inspired styling has been received when adopted by international pop stars, and whether the context and personal connection behind each look change how audiences interpret it.