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Why Watching Indian Matchmaking was Infuriating?
Looking into Some of the Troubling Beliefs Promoted by the Show
When I watched Indian matchmaking, I was angry. The show’s premise is straightforward; there is a professional Indian Matchmaker, Sima Taparia, who tries to find people their perfect match for an arranged marriage. She does this by meeting with her clients and her clients’ parents, who jointly describe their criteria for a match. Taparia, then presents the profiles of potential suitors. If her client is interested, they arrange a date, and the couple decides whether to proceed.
At first, I was angry because I felt that the show overly stereotyped what it meant to be Indian. It made me nervous because I thought that it would reinforce the unfavorable notions people already had about Indians. But what bothered me more was its acceptance of troubling values and traditions that are still prominent in Indian society, especially when searching for a suitable partner.
The show fails to use the valuable air time it had to discuss or challenge these biases in this social practice. Some of these include:
Obsession over “fair-skinned”.
Colorism is not a problem unique to India, but it is rampant. It is a bi-product of colonial prejudices, where…