Why does nobody talk about how some cultures ban hand gestures in photos?

I was reading this article from the BBC last week about how in Russia, it's considered rude to smile with your teeth showing in official ID photos. But the thing that got me was how in certain parts of India, making a peace sign in a picture can be seen as disrespectful because it's tied to old caste gestures. Found it while digging into travel customs for a trip I'm planning next summer. Has anyone else run into a weird photo rule while visiting a different country?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliotr391d ago

My first trip to Thailand I spent a whole afternoon in a small temple taking what I thought were respectful photos, only to have a monk gently tell me that putting my hands in a prayer-like gesture in front of statues was apparently offensive in that specific temple. I had seen everyone else doing it in tourist guides back home. Go figure. Now I just stand there with my arms at my sides like a mannequin and hope for the best. It feels like you need a PhD in local customs just to take a simple vacation picture these days.

hannaht291d ago

Oh yeah, that peace sign thing in India is definitely a real thing. I had a friend who went to Mumbai for work a few years ago and she got some weird looks from locals when she was taking touristy photos. Like she didn't even know it was a thing until someone told her to stop it.