A US-based Indian-origin woman’s video on ‘how not to smell like curry’ has garnered mixed reactions on social media.

According to her Instagram account, Shivee Chauhan is an Indian immigrant and content creator based in San Francisco. She shared the steps she takes so that her clothes do not smell the Indian food that she cooks in her house.

“I like my Indian food. But I also hate going out smelling like Indian food,” she said in the video. “Here are some things that I do to avoid this problem,” she said.

She informed the users in her video that she wears a separate set of ‘cooking clothes’ that she chooses to wear while cooking.

Among other tips, Chauhan emphasised that the smell of onion, garlic and other spices sticks to the clothes.

The video garnered 8.1 million views along with over 6,000 comments. While some people appreciated her tips, others criticised her for reinforcing racial stereotypes tied to Indian culture.

In the comment section, a user commented, “Step 1: Stop cooking so much curry.” Another user wrote, “This one is self aware”.

A user commented, “I think this is a white people concept.” While another user wrote, “Have you ever tried going back to India?” Some users also said, “She is trying to help...don’t hate the messenger”.

While a user commented, “Why? just normalize curry smell”, another wrote, “just take a shower”.  “Don’t follow these steps. Indian food smells like heaven,” one foreign user commented.

One user also commented, “Girl I’m not Indian but it’s not only Indian foods that’s pungent. I used to have a Chinese housemate and omg the smell of their food was rank.”

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