All of us judged this show right at the beginning of its release. But we are guilty of binge-watching the show too. Everyone is aware about the Arranged Marriage custom in India. Our elders have been following this system for centuries. But things have changed now. Few families still follow this system while few others don’t. But this show was highly toxic. It’s a reality show where Seema Taparia acts like a human Shaadi.com. If you are not an Indian, you might come to the conclusion that this is how arranged marriage works in India. But Indian matchmaking doesn’t always happen in this way. So here are a few things that are completely stereotypical in this show.
Why Just Women?
A few things in this show might just be the reality in India. But portraying something like this on a reality show is just pushing yourself one step back amidst the battle against Patriarchy. Numerous questions will pop up in your head while watching this show. Statements like ‘Girls must adjust and compulsorily know how to cook, not work, have a certain kind of body shape’ are really disturbing. How can you expect a girl to be “flexible” in all ways when you are not ready to adjust a little? Racism in India is so deep and it won’t be eliminated at least in this century. Demanding for a fair skin bride just shows how dark your heart is.
What’s the Problem?
In a patriarchal society like India, the areas they have covered actually showcases the reality. All the matchmaking in this show happens between either rich or NRI’s. In India, the majority of the population comprises of the Middle class and they were completely ignored. This show promoted stereotypes. Demanding the women to be flexible or fair and rejecting a guy due to low salary happens only in India. But it’s not the complete picture of how Marriages work in India. This show defames the traditions and culture of India. This show literally labeled Independent women as stubborn.
Did the Show portray Reality?
In a few aspects such as Racism and Patriarchal issues, it showed the reality in India. But that’s not the entire picture. This show is promoting the problematic side of Indian Matchmaking. It showed how desi aunties and mothers are dominating. How dark-skinned women are often rejected. How a rich guy is preferred over others. It also showed that only certain kinds of bodies are appealing. But the question is even after filtering the candidates and Seema aunty matching them, how many of them are still together? The answer is None. But then how are so many Indian Marriages successful than other western countries? So that means this show didn’t depict everything about Indian Matchmaking.
