Culture

South Asian Representation in the Media

South Asian representation has soared in the mainstream media. But is this for the best or is it damaging to South Asian communities?

Evania Bhattarai | September 08, 2021

Photo By Samantha Highfill https://ew.com/tv/never-have-i-ever-season-2-official-trailer/

Recently South Asian representation has soared in mainstream media. After years of being shunned away from the spotlight, we are FINALLY receiving the attention we deserve. While some people are delighted with all the ruse that the media has been causing, others feel as though the depiction of South Asian Culture is tainting.. Hence, let’s dive deeper into the media industry and find out ...Lights, Camera, Action!

Never Have I Ever

Never Have I Ever is a show directed and produced by Mindy Kaling, which has been critically praised for its diversity, especially since the main character is a POC. Talk about breaking standards, Mindy! I personally believe that this show does a great job in representing POC women struggles while highlighting tribulations outside of their cultural identity. Furthermore, I appreciate how this show discussed hard topics like dealing with grief, eating disorders, and culture identity crisis, while maintaining a light and upbeat storyline. However, many of the characters fit into their race’s stereotypes. Devi’s character is for the most part relatable, to POC women, which is what makes it so heartwarming and comforting. While this show does have its shortcomings, I believe it is the peak of brown girl representation in the media.

Photo By Netflix https://ew.com/tv/never-have-i-ever-season-2-official-trailer/

Indian Matchmaker

Indian Matchmaker is a reality tv show revolving around Indian love. I really wanted to be in love with this show, but the way they have represented the martial process in Indian culture tarnishes it for me. The show has been filled with stereotypical practices such as astrology and has a very colorist, classist, and misogynistic approach to marriage. For example, when many of the reality show participants were asked to state their conditions on the type of person they wanted, many of them stated that they wanted someone who was “fair-skinned.” I personally believe that this show is feeding into the stereotypes that Indian people are misogynistic, classist, and colorist, because the show provides representation with people that associate with that type of behavior. In fact, the show amplifies it to such an extent that at times I thought the show was satire… I’m really hoping that it is. While I am glad that we are being introduced to a new type of representation, I think the show is doing more harm than good.

In conclusion, I am LIVING for all of the love and support given to both of the shows, and while they both have their shortcomings, I’m really proud and grateful of the representation provided.