As South Indian Americans, not seeing much representation in Hollywood and seeing people our age bringing down South Indians, simply because of the color of their skin, made us realize that there are many problems in India not only relating to colorism. All of these issues have started with the older generations and have been carried on to the generations today. It is our priority to wash the stain out and speak up. It is not too late to create a new set of standards for the future generations, without changing our culture. By not speaking up about ongoing normalized racism and other issues, we will not be progressing into a modern and more equal society. We are the role models for our future. We want future Indian Americans to grow up with different standards and not experience the same ignorance and insensitivity that we have gone through. We strive to create change. Not only do we want to educate our peers, but we want to reach an audience of Indian teens and address topics that are not commonly discussed.
Below are our own personal reasons for why we started this blog
Shreya: My personal reason for why I started this blog was because of the ongoing colorism portrayed on Social Media, more specifically, TikTok. As a South Indian, it hurt to see so many remarks made about how North India was better and seeing South Indians getting shamed on for having a darker complexion. It truly disappointed me to see people that were the same age as me being colorist and putting down others from their own country. Not only did colorism affect me, but I often found myself pondering about common Indian taboos, such as rape culture. I always wondered why action was barely ever taken against it and why no basic self defense classes were offered at school. It infuriated me that the mindset was “she dressed like that” and the victim usually never wins. I want others to learn that it doesn’t matter where in India you are from; we are all the same and we all must celebrate each other’s cultures. Not only will Nikitha and I educate others, but we will be educating ourselves about our own history and culture. I think it is important that we learn about our roots, especially since we don’t live in India or visit it often.
Nikitha: My personal reason for starting this blog is because I started to notice a lack of representation of Indians in Hollywood. Especially being a South Indian American teen, there aren’t many people I can look to that are like me and going through the same issues. I also started to notice gender stereotypes and how prevalent they are in Indian culture. Although I don’t visit India often, I have become more aware of the antifeminism there. Growing up in a mainly white community I would go to school and get made fun of for how my food smelled or asked why my hair had oil in it. Now as a high schooler, I see other Indian American teens like me trying to fit in, but then they are immediately labeled “white washed.” By writing this blog, I hope Shreya and I can challenge you to think beyond the stereotype and educate you on Indian culture and issues.