Archive · 8 Sep 2026
US Tattoo Artist Says British Rule Impoverished India
Jema Ferrer is a tattoo artist from the United States who is visiting India.
She made a video about India’s history and textile industry.
She said India was not always poor.
Instead, she said British rule and trade policies made many Indian producers poorer.
India was known for making valuable cotton, silk and muslin fabrics.
Ferrer said many artisans and weavers lost their jobs or livelihoods.
Her video became popular on Instagram.
Some people agreed with her, while another commenter said economies must also adapt to competition and look toward the future.
Ferrer also praised India for challenging the British Empire without weapons or bloodshed.
New York-based tattoo artist Jema Ferrer is exploring India and sharing videos on Instagram.
Ferrer said India was historically a major textile power producing cotton, silk and muslin.
She argued British trade policies disadvantaged Indian producers while favoring British manufacturers.
According to Ferrer, millions of Indian artisans and weavers lost their livelihoods as a result.
She praised India’s non-violent resistance to the British Empire, while social-media users offered both agreement and broader historical context.
- Who
- Jema Ferrer, a New York-based tattoo artist from the United States, discussed India’s history in an Instagram video.
- What
- Ferrer said British colonial trade policies impoverished India’s producers and harmed its textile artisans and weavers.
- When
- The video was posted while Ferrer was currently exploring India and has since gained traction.
- Where
- The comments were made in an Instagram video filmed as Ferrer visited places in India.
- Why
- Ferrer attributed the economic harm to colonial trade policies that disadvantaged Indian producers and favored British manufacturers.
Colonial Impoverishment View
Historical Context and Adaptation View
Cause of India’s economic hardship
Colonial Impoverishment View
Ferrer said India was impoverished over centuries because British trade policies disadvantaged Indian producers and favored British manufacturers.
Historical Context and Adaptation View
One commenter agreed with the historical account but emphasized that textile industries in Europe also faced competition, wars and later losses to lower-wage countries.
How to respond to economic change
Colonial Impoverishment View
Ferrer focused on the damage caused when India’s textile excellence benefited others under colonial rule.
Historical Context and Adaptation View
The commenter argued that economies should focus on adapting, inventing and developing rather than only complaining about the past.
- Speaker
- Jema Ferrer, a United States tattoo artist based in New York
- Platform
- Subject
- India’s textile industry and the effects of British colonial trade policies
- Historic products
- Cotton, silk and muslin
- Reported impact
- Millions of artisans and weavers lost their livelihoods, according to Ferrer
- Public response
- The video gained traction, with users expressing agreement and offering additional historical context
- Resistance praised
- Ferrer praised India’s non-violent challenge to the British Empire