Indians love putting together fashion shows that depict the various dress of South Asian and South Asian American culture. These fashion shows are usually organized by one dominant Indian girl who considers herself an authority on beauty and fashion. She then corrals a group of popular friends to join her in the project and asks a relatively popular Indian guy to do the same for male participants.
The decision of whom to include in the fashion show is strictly political and often alienates a large portion of the prospective Indian audience. By show time, however, those too ugly or dark to participate in the event have come to terms with their inferiority and take solace in the likelihood that the fashion show will be awkward for all involved.
Rehearsal for the fashion shows is stressful as the dictatorial organizer demands the participants have fun, yet take it seriously, look good but not trashy and dance without dancing.
The day of the fashion show is when participants realize they have done nothing to actually prepare for the event. At the last minute the decision is usually made for everyone to just wear whatever their parents were able to send them. Some male participants are given leeway on this point and will wear jeans and a button down shirt to reflect the "modern" aspects of Indian culture.
In the end, Indian cultural fashion shows often meet the same outcome. The banter between the two hosts is witless and unbearable; the show itself goes on 15 minutes too long; the audience realizes Indian cultural dress has not changed at all since the last fashion show they saw 6 months earlier.
Friday, February 22, 2008
#55: Putting on Fashion Shows
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4 comments:
How I missed this gem earlier is beyond me. Not only was I in a fashion show my freshman year, I was that girl who organized it, with an equally involved male counterpart. I did take it seriously, and costumes absolutely were pulled together at the last minute...down to the kurta over jeans, accompanied by the appropriate bhangra/Black Eyed Peas remix song. However, my fashion show was awesome, since we had people in polos and oxfords as the Britishers from Lagaan, and of course, girls in saris trying to one up each other.
I'm pretty sure people like me are the inspiration for this blog entirely.
Did your dad videotape it with a shaky camcorder?
This is so true, it is sad. What I never got was why we feel the need to have fashion shows where fellow Indians are the majority in the audience. Like we don't know what kurtis, saris and lehengas look like? Please.
@Beejoli, that's brave of you to admit.
I was one of the girls that was alienated from participating freshman year but I made up for it in grad school (yeah I know, no one should even think of such things past undergrad).
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