The Indian beauty myth has its roots in the so-called history of the
Aryan-Dravidian divide, which has
permeated Indian consciousness for decades. As the story goes, Aryans invaded India sometime in 1200 B.C., driving Dravidians, the original Indian race, farther south. The Aryans-in-the-North and Dravidians-in-the-South theory supposedly explained linguistic differences between the two regions. More importantly, it explained why North Indians were lighter skinned than South Indians, an idea which gained traction during the racial stratification of British rule and elevated the social status (read: marriageability) of lighter-skinned Indians above their darker counterparts. The Aryan-Dravidian myth was debunked in 2009 by a study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School, which used DNA samples from Indians in both regions to prove that there was no genetic difference between the two. Still, the idea that some Indians have a claim to "whiteness" continues to rule the country's concept of beauty.
For all the racist commentary following Davuluri's win at Miss America, the fact remains that America is way ahead of India in celebrating a realistic ideal of Indian beauty. In fact, Davuluri is following in the footsteps of other darker-skinned Indian women who have been recognized in America for their talent and beauty, like The Office's Mindy Kaling or ER's Parminder Nagra -- women who'd never get a second glance in India. Davuluri's title offers some vindication for the Indian women and girls whose value, according to Indian standards, has been eclipsed by the color of their skin; with luck, it will be a wake-up call for India to follow America's lead and finally start taking note of the real beauty of Indian women as well.
permeated Indian consciousness for decades. As the story goes, Aryans invaded India sometime in 1200 B.C., driving Dravidians, the original Indian race, farther south. The Aryans-in-the-North and Dravidians-in-the-South theory supposedly explained linguistic differences between the two regions. More importantly, it explained why North Indians were lighter skinned than South Indians, an idea which gained traction during the racial stratification of British rule and elevated the social status (read: marriageability) of lighter-skinned Indians above their darker counterparts. The Aryan-Dravidian myth was debunked in 2009 by a study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School, which used DNA samples from Indians in both regions to prove that there was no genetic difference between the two. Still, the idea that some Indians have a claim to "whiteness" continues to rule the country's concept of beauty.
For all the racist commentary following Davuluri's win at Miss America, the fact remains that America is way ahead of India in celebrating a realistic ideal of Indian beauty. In fact, Davuluri is following in the footsteps of other darker-skinned Indian women who have been recognized in America for their talent and beauty, like The Office's Mindy Kaling or ER's Parminder Nagra -- women who'd never get a second glance in India. Davuluri's title offers some vindication for the Indian women and girls whose value, according to Indian standards, has been eclipsed by the color of their skin; with luck, it will be a wake-up call for India to follow America's lead and finally start taking note of the real beauty of Indian women as well.
