Coachella is well known as a colorful place of drugs, campsite sex, and indie music but in the past few years it has become the poster child of cultural appropriation.

Cultural appropriation is defined as the act of adopting elements from a culture without the proper respect and use of that element, by a person from a different cultural group. Festival goers have been known to wear Native American headdresses, kimonos, and bindis in order to satisfy their thirst for “fashion.”

Numerous people bedecked in faux feathers, war paint and headdresses can be found in the throngs of festival goers. They go around flaunting color-dyed chicken feathers on their heads, completely ignorant of the fact that they are mocking sacred war bonnets.

The feathers are symbols of honor and respect that have been hard earned and not just bought from the dollar store. Really, wearing war-bonnets is the equivalent to going around wearing purple hearts that weren’t earned.

The image of a war bonnet and war paint wearing Indian is one that has been created and perpetuated by Hollywood and only bears minimal resemblance to traditional regalia of Plains tribes. So when groups upon groups of people go around supporting these images, they’re supporting the history of genocide and colonialism Native Americans have suffered through.

Another recurring topic is the conflict over bindis. Many festival goers defend their use of bindis with the boiled down definition that it represents the third eye; however, the dot worn on the forehead is a religious symbol. It represents divine sight, loyalty to one’s spouse and much more. The forehead dot is a reminder to use and cultivate spiritual vision to perceive and better understand life’s inner workings-to see things not just physically, but with the “mind’s eye” as well.

#ReclaimTheBindi has become a popular way for ethnically Indian people to use social media to take back their culture from those who have taken it from them. Many of the people participating are women aiming to promote cultural appreciation, self-love, and self-confidence. They’re promoting pride in their culture and calling attention to the irony of how they were made fun of for their wearing bindis in the past, they are now a cute fashion statement for hipsters.

Even YouTube beauty guru Michelle Phan drew criticism after her video, Music Festival Looks: Zodiac Sirens, where she promoted the use of “body jewels” on the forehead to represent the third eye. This normalization of cultural appropriation by the media contributes to the tokenization of the culture and traditions of people.

Culture is not your fashion trend and exploitations are severely offensive when you don’t honor the beliefs and sacristy behind your “fashion statement.” This Coachella season, think twice before wearing something because it looks “exotic” and channel this intrigue into a real appreciation.