A swimsuit that features an image of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi has been making waves. The use of Lakshmi's image, emblazoned on the front and back of the cutaway design, has sparked outrage on the part of offended Hindus. The swimsuit was created by the Australian designer Lisa Burke - part of her Lisa Blue line at Australian Fashion Week.
Some of the sound and fury has been coming from right-wing Hindu organizations such as Shiv Sena and the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. During the protests in Indian cities participants waved photocopies of the Lakshmi swimsuit and burned the Australian flag.
Rajan Zed, President of the Universal Society of Hinduism, called on Lisa Blue and the organizers of the Rosemount Australian Fashion Week to apologize and recall all swimwear featuring Lakshmi.
Indian protesters
The use of an image of a god or goddess on a commercial product can be a risky proposition. When Lakshmi's image was used by Burger King in 2009 the promotion sparked a similar backlash. The pairing of Lakshmi with beef was viewed as blasphemous by many Hindus since the cow has sacred significance for them.
In general the reaction of the religious seems to depend on how a sacred image is handled. Images of Hindu deities turn up in many commercial products without any problem. For example Hindu Art Yoga Clothing has a line of t'shirts and other items featuring a range of gods and goddesses. There is even a Lakshmi handbag that has been advertised without any protests breaking out.
Handbags are one thing though - It's hard to believe that the creators of the swimsuit were naive enough to imagine that the image of Lakshmi presented in such an overtly sexy manner wouldn't provoke a backlash. The sight of the revered goddess covering the rear end of a model is asking for a reaction.
Lisa Burke has apologized and announced that the Lakshmi range won't be available for sale in stocklists or retail outlets.
Lisa Burke:
"At no time would we ever have intended that the brand would cause offence. The use of images of Goddess Lakshmi was not in any way a measure of calculated risk taking, simply it was a desire to celebrate different cultures and share that through our brand".
