Super Generic Indian Model?

Well, we did it Brown people, another step in the assimilation of Indians into American culture.

An Indian girl made it into Sports Illustrated’s signature issue, the Swimsuit Issue.

And really, what is more American than the Bikini?

So, congratulations to Sonia Dara.

Like any red-blooded Indo-American male, I had to support my fellow Indian and check out her photo spread.

However, looking at the photos just made me feel awkward. Its not that Sonia’s unnattractive, its just that she’s exceptionally ordinary. She just has the look of somebody’s little cousin who tries to dress cool, but ends up looking desperate for attention. I really don’t want to oggle her, I just want to buy her a sammich. Listen, there are millions of beautiful Desi girls out there, but she just seems..kinda sad.

Hell, you could have made a best selling issue with the Girls of Bollywood (With Priyanka Chopra on the cover, I suggest).

Truth be told, doesn’t it just encourage stereotypes if your Indian model looks malnutritioned in photos that are set in India? But she’s certainly not poor, she’s wearing plenty of gold jewelry to feed a village for a month.

My biggest problem with the shoot is that it just plain lack imagination. I mean, how much creativity does it take to take pictures of an Indian girl in India wearing South Asian-inspired bathing suits and gold jewelry. (And why is every pose the Megan Fox pouty lip look?)

At the end of the day, the whole spread wreaks of “Token Ethnic Girl who won’t be in any future swimsuit issues,” which is unfortunate, because my Desi girls deserve more than that.

~ by joysonism on February 16, 2010.