Desicritics Comments on Was Vanity Fair To Freida Pinto?

Comment by commonsense

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:57:28 EDT

kaffir, i understand. it's all a matter of taste. my bad taste and your good taste :)

Comment by kaffir

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:53:03 EDT

meh. too waif-like and emaciated. I like 'em well-rounded and full-figured.

Comment by commonsense

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:44:21 EDT

freida pinto, da best! (smitten CS)

Comment by Aaman

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:44:52 EST

It is the same pic, but I think the jpg does not bring out the colors of the print version. Very glamorized pic, though

Comment by Aditi N

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:19:22 EST

Aaman: is this the picture you are referring to? http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/32577539.html If so she doesn't seem white-washed...just air-brushed as is usual but several shades closer to her real skin color compared to VF's glaring tube-light shot. On Vogue India's cover she looks over-accesorized. I mean what the hell is that hideous thing around her neck? It looks ridiculous. But at least she looks more like her mocha self. It would've been embarassing if she looked like a Fair & Lovely ad on a desi magazine.

Comment by Aaman

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:10:40 EST

The latest Vogue India cover repeats this - our Freida, white-washed, to put it baldly.

Comment by Slime_id

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 03:31:54 EST

These pics are so beautiful. Million dollar pics. I think Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar is so cute! http://www.allyourtv.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=121:photogalleryslumdogcast&catid=48:photogalleriescelebrity

Comment by Slime_id

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 03:19:13 EST

Freida Pinto denies dating 'Slumdog' co-star http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29336877/

Comment by commonsense

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 02:05:33 EST

Hardik, it's all the in the face: FP has a perfectly symmetrical face, very well proportioned nose, lips, chin etc. To top it all, a captivating smile!

Comment by commonsense

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:37:31 EST

Hardik: "Seriously, here in my college everyone's comments after the movie were "Nahh.. she's not hot. " (translate as voluptuous) And I just kept saying "Well Hello ????? " Is it just me or does everyone find her so amazingly charming..." naah, it's not just you. FP is seriously hotter than hot! super-attractive indeed! In your face, over-the-top, overblown mammaries are seriously over-rated!

Comment by Ledzius

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 23:58:30 EST

Many IT companies here in Bangalore provide etiquette training for its employees who have to go abroad on assignments. I know that in the US, they provide such training for Americans who visit Japan, but I doubt there is any sort of training if the destination is India.

Comment by Hardik

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 23:46:27 EST

Seriously, here in my college everyone's comments after the movie were "Nahh.. she's not hot. " (translate as voluptuous) And I just kept saying "Well Hello ????? " Is it just me or does everyone find her so amazingly charming... Oh and what an outrageous job VF has done.. Just look at how beautiful she'll look when she comes on the next cover of Femina etc.

Comment by commonsense

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:10:32 EST

deepti: "CS, wasn't me who made the push up bra comment;)" yup! you simply commented on the the original piece about the push-up bra! Re: big boobs or lack thereof, (not that this is SO important), i was simply reacting against the male (and female) fetish of bigger is necessarily better! does somebody remember Katy Mirza? Or am i too old? And there was actually an Indian movie called "Lady Football", a very soft version of soft porn playing in the theatres some twenty years ago...Freida Pinto is getting a bad rap for not being "Lady Football". They just showed her at the Oscars, and she looked really great and oh so attractive, despite the fact that the dress she wore clearly displayed the fact that she was no "Lady Football"! SD (if you are still reading this), the issue you are tangling with is way complicated with wheels within wheels etc. much of it having to do with colonialism. I must say I agree with you that in US, Canada etc. despite the bad rap they get, most regular people do not deserve the taunt of "racism" that is so casually hurled, especially by some Indians who would not even blink twice while doing the same for Americans, "whites" and indeed for fellow indians too, except they will deny that this indeed is "racism". (Watch me getting attacked for sucking up to a "white" guy, an American etc.!! Or perhaps this could be a self-denying prophecy)

Comment by kaffir

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 14:39:56 EST

Shabaash SD!!! Such a fine lecture on taking pride in one's country and standing up to the wrongs. I'm sure there are a few regulars here who could learn from your example, instead of always looking at the half-empty glass and finding nothing worthwhile in India, or at least not speaking up if they do. The problem in India is that, for example, when that change in Rishikesh came about (sorry, I wasn't there - I heard about it from a local friend), likely there would've been a good number of Indians who, based on their world-view and lack of pride in their culture, welcomed that change with glee in their hearts because the local population was not receptive to the idea. As for Homeland Security and pamphlets, it's an idea along the same lines as the government facilitating those immigrants who want to learn English by setting up ESL classes and making it easier for them to learn a new language which will make their life a lot easier. Or we can ask Hollywood to not perpetuate stereotypes which are then exported to viewers across the globe.

Comment by SD

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 13:54:08 EST

kaffir: here is what I think. I think that when we visit a place or move there we should learn a little about its culture. whether it is done or not is besides the point. the point is it is the right thing to do. you know something? at travel stores here there are books which give us a list of what we shouldn't say to inadvertently offend people when we travel to a foreign country. we can either educate ourselves or not care. its a prerogative that defines us and speaks of the respect we have for other cultures. if Indians have made certain uncomfortable changes to accommodate foreigners then they may have done so to improve tourism and not just as an allowance to foreigners. the fact remains that they shouldn't have to do that, it is like giving up your principles. if it is their religious place then they should protect it and not serve meat. if a foreigner were to use offensive, racially charged words it shouldn't be tolerated. We should all stand up for what is principally right. I remember a couple of years ago a big group of us went to this sports bar in Michigan and we had in our group a foreign exchange student from Africa. He was excited to be in the US and was loudly expressing his festive mood. He was happy and was singing, The owner of the bar approached our group and very rudely without explanation asked him to leave. We were shocked. The guy was white and we knew we were in a very segregated area of Michigan. The owner simply pointed to the sign that said they reserved the right to deny anyone service. We all got up to leave and before leaving one of us stood in front of the bar and loudly told the other customers what was happening. Everybody soon knew what was happening. The bar was mostly white and we were not sure if anyone would be on our side but they all got up canceled their orders and soon every single person exited leaving every seat empty. A bar that had been bustling and full of people was now empty. Some of us stood outside the bar in the cold telling people what had happened if they tried entering the bar. The African guy kept shrugging it off telling us it was OK and we should just move on but we all decided we would make sure this was addressed. After a while the owner came out and apologized and made up an excuse about how he had felt that the African guy had been too drunk and was acting rambunctious. We later heard that the incident was narrated on the radio the next day. This is the fate racism faces today in America or at least I hope it does. But the real achievement of the night was that a whole bar full of people in the middle of what was considered a segregated area was drained empty when they realized that the owner was being racist. As an American when Ledzius narrates about Serbians and Romanians being racist I want to narrate this incident because it reminds me of the things that make me proud of being an American when everybody else is attacking my country. So when you know something wrong is being done stand up against it. Don't just condone it because its done elsewhere. I don't mean to lecture here. :) Its just my own perspective.

Comment by kaffir

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 13:25:19 EST

"If I go to India and use words that people consider offensive as an American I will be criticized as being culturally self-righteous and inconsiderate." *** I doubt it. We are known to bend over backwards to accommodate foreigners, especially if they are white. That's a colonial hangover which will take some time to go away. I could give you a few examples of the changes that have happened in India solely for that reason, but since you are so familiar with India, you must know them. One example is the introduction of non-vegetarian food in the town of Rishikesh (home of many yoga ashrams and a spiritual center) to pamper the tourists, while many locals expressed discomfort over that change. (I'm not debating the merits or demerits of vegetarian/non-vegetarian diet, or the mechanics of change, but that's a good example of a change that was made to accommodate foreign tourists who couldn't go for a few days without eating meat.)

Comment by Kerty

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 13:08:48 EST

Ledz Thanks for the link. The article does go to great length and details to compare Indian women to white women. One may wash off the hands by shooting the messenger or by attacking the site as racist, supremacist or hate and that would be the political correctness expected from MSM and people, but if you scratch the people off the record, the views mirrored in the article would not entirely be off the mark. They resonate. They are reflected in the kind of choices people make and freedoms they pursue. The article merely holds mirror to it and dares to highlight something that MSM would not. America have come a long way, no doubt, and majority of people in urban, elite, liberal America would want nothing to do with it, but ask Black America if their struggle is over. There is a tendency to shoot the messenger, hold accountable a person who is only holding a mirror to the society, label a person to be racist when one is only pointing out racism. To practice racism or not highlight it and leave it alone is not racism, but pointing it out is racism! I have seen such gymnastics in conservative as well as liberal forums.

Comment by SD

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 12:13:44 EST

kaffir: Its definitely not out in the open. Please don't just level accusations for the sake of argument. Our nation has made huge strides in this past decade or so in countering racism. Educated, decent Americans who've had a good upbringing and were raised with good values do not use racially tinged terminology and if they do they are immediately called out on it. When one uses a term they should know its origin and meaning. Why does the consulate or homeland security have to provide a booklet? As Indians arriving on F1 and H1 visas into a country don't you think you guys should at the very least learn something about the culture or about what is considered offensive. Why do you use words that you don't know the meaning of? Do you think it makes you cool? If I go to India and use words that people consider offensive as an American I will be criticized as being culturally self-righteous and inconsiderate. So why doesn't the same rule apply to you? Ledzius: you have trouble admitting to it but believe me in our circles in LA you would be classified as racist if you were to say the stuff you did in your comments. You use plenty racist terms and your whole ideology is prejudiced. You think that Hollywood peddles "Caucasian" features (which is not true, we've moved on from that era) and you then excuse it by providing examples of other racist people you know. It is anti-West bitterness. If racism exists in some parts of America then it should be countered not used as an excuse to fuel more racism. I just have one last thing to say to the commentators on DC. As an American I love Indian culture, cinema and people. After reading the constant anti-West diatribe on this forum it made me look differently at my Indian friends and even wonder if this is what they think of me but don't say out loud. I even spoke to my best friend who is Indian about this. And she put sense into me by saying that if I thought on these lines I would be doing the same thing you guys are: applying the words and actions of a few people to a whole community or nationality. Today America's image in the world is not that great. I agree. That does not mean that you criticize everything about America. We may deserve some of the anti-West sentiment but don't make it so generic and indiscriminate that it makes you seem prejudiced. Some of the things you guys mention are outdated. The faces in Hollywood are mixed, of all colors and shapes. The arts industries have pioneered the ousting of racism. Times have changed and if you live in the US you will realize that the tide isn't just sweeping the big cities; its in the smaller areas of America too. There will of course be a few racist people everywhere and hopefully time will eliminate those. And with time your critique will have to change too or it will be dismissed as prejudicial bitterness. It really hurts me to see so many Indians constantly and sometimes without reason demonstrate hatred towards the West. Its just not nice. If someone constantly criticized your country for no good reason and started an anti-India propaganda how would you feel?

Comment by smallsquirrel

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 09:22:42 EST

ledzius, what you are saying is patently false. you cannot take some hate site and bandy it about as typical american thought and think you can get away with it. go find us a proper study, or keep your dimwitted fallacies to yourself. but trotting out some racist website as a representative view of mainstream american thought is unacceptable. (although par for the course for you and your totally warped views)

Comment by Ledzius

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 09:18:22 EST

SS, mainstream websites have no choice but to be politically correct. If you ask a farmer from Iowa, guess which website he is going to agree more with? Hollywood and Manhattan are not representative of the views of all Americans.

Comment by commonsense

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 08:30:20 EST

Aditi: "On the brighter side, it does look like you and kerty finally have something in common now even if the reasons may be vastly different. :)" brighter side, me and kerty in the same basket...eeeks!!!

Comment by smallsquirrel

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 07:27:45 EST

hahahha ledz, that is a racist site, not some mainstream article. dude, you are not so swift, are you?

Comment by Ledzius

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 04:41:21 EST

SD, I have to admit that I didn't expect you to be a non-Indian for the amount of stuff you seem to know about Bollywood. That said, I am not being "racist", but only pointing out the racism that exists in Western societies. Yours is a case of shooting the messenger. For instance, read the article below that clearly implies that whites of N European descent are the most beautiful women in the world, in spite of many Indians winning beauty pageants recently- http://majorityrights.com/index.php/weblog/comments/the_evolution_of_blond_hair_and_blue_eyes_among_nordics/

Comment by kaffir

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 04:14:37 EST

"Holywood caters to markets that are predominantly white-majority." - Kerty, I wasn't aware that there were whites living in India and other Asian countries. ;) /tongue-in-cheek

Comment by kaffir

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 03:58:31 EST

SD, Homeland Security should start handing out a pamphlet on "Racism 101 - USA version" along with F-1 and H-1B visas. Whatever knowledge of American society most new arrivals have, it's mostly gleaned from Hollywood movies.