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Fun-Bee2944
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AITAH for telling my white friend that South Asians love sharing our culture and don’t gatekeep it, which somehow offended my Black friend?

I’m Indian (F), and I’ve been friends with two girls for a long time. Let’s call them Lily (white European) and Aby (African American). Race has never really been a topic in our friendship. We were just three girls who became close naturally. Last week, we were hanging out at Lily’s apartment. She told us she had been invited to a South Asian wedding for the first time. She was nervous because she really wanted to make a good impression and not accidentally disrespect the culture. Lily is a huge people pleaser and overthinks everything. We started looking online at traditional outfits. She found a dark green lehenga she loved, very elegant and heavily embroidered. She worried it might be “too much.” I told her South Asian weddings are usually so extravagant that being overdressed is almost expected. Later, Lily asked if it would be okay for her to wear mehndi/henna to the wedding, or if people might find it disrespectful. I said absolutely yes, and that most people would actually appreciate her respectfully participating. I explained that mehndi isn’t exclusive to South Asia it has roots across the Middle East and Central Asia as well. Then I made the comment that caused the argument. I said that South Asians generally love sharing our culture with others instead of gatekeeping it, as long as people are respectful. The second I said that, Aby’s mood completely changed. She became extremely upset and started yelling at me. She said I would never understand why some cultures feel protective over their traditions because of slavery and exploitation, and that Lily and I could never understand because we are not Black. I was shocked. I never mentioned Black culture. I wasn’t trying to criticize or compare any culture. I was only speaking about my own culture and how I personally view cultural sharing. The situation escalated quickly, and Aby stormed out. Lily and I sat there stunned. Later, Lily admitted she also felt the reaction was way too intense for what I had actually said. I genuinely never intended to disrespect Black culture or insult any race. I completely understand the historical reasons why some communities are more protective of their traditions. I just didn’t think my comment about South Asians enjoying cultural sharing would be interpreted as an attack on anyone else. I still don’t know if I unknowingly said something offensive or if my words were simply misunderstood. And it wasn't even that we were ignoring Aby or had any previous fight with her. AITA?