An influencer has sparked a debate about travel etiquette after saying she covered up on her Indian Ocean holiday in response to a request to wear something “more culturally appropriate”.
Tiktok star Mikaela Testa, who has more than a million followers, shared a video on social media detailing the story.
“So I landed in Cocos yesterday and the lady who owns the Airbnb that we’re staying in received some calls from some locals saying that I should be wearing something more culturally appropriate because this island is predominately Muslim,” said Testa.
“So today I am covering up to show some respect and I respect their wishes 100 per cent.”
The video shows her wearing a scarf covering her head and a dress – although the latter has cut-outs on either side of the midriff.
Testa was staying on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, a remote Australian territory in the Indian Ocean comprised of 27 small islands.
Although technically part of Australia, the islands’ 600-strong population consists mainly of Cocos Malays, who mostly practise Sunni Islam and speak a dialect of Malay.
Testa’s attempt to adopt a more conservative style of dress divided opinion in the video’s comments section.
While some applauded her, with one user writing, “I’m Muslim and thought it was really respectful of her to cover up the best she can!”, others didn’t think her outfit choice fit the bill.
“If that’s respectful in your book then maybe reevaluate” said one commenter; another wrote: “Asked to cover up, wears a cut out dress”.
