Girls, Girls, Girls

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I’ve always been one of those girls that scoured mainstream beauty/fashion mags to see if there was a desi face within the pages. Of course, I was constantly disappointed. While thumbing through Jane Magazine’s April issue (print edition only) this weekend, I surprisingly found two. These two women were profiled in a list of “30 under 30,” basically, 30 cool women under the age of 30…

Miss Congeniality

Kashish Chopra, 22 – Washington D.C. Real Estate Agent; openly gay; Miss Congeniality at the 2003 Miss India pageant. “People would tell me how they were born gay but didn’t know how to come to terms with their personal or cultural identity. But they shouldn’t be afraid of it, because they are not alone.” (p104)

Alpana Singh, 29 – Chicago. Youngest female master sommelier in the country (and one of only 16 in the world). “It’s like, you can see Scarlett Johansson having wine, whereas Tara Reed is doing shots of tequila. Do you want to be Scarlett or Tara?” (p121)

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She Likes Her Wine

It got me to thinking…just two? I know there’s more. Most of the people I come across in doing South Asian American work are dynamic women, all moving to break down barriers…Who would I additionally add if it was a list of “Desi Women Under 30”?

  • M.I.A, 28, rapper. – I had to do it. You knew it was coming. She was the first woman I saw perform on a live late-night TV talk show. Does this SM mascot even need a bio update on this site? [link].
  • Parminder Nagra, 30 actress. – Of the Bend it Like Beckham fame, as well as on E.R. “She was nominated for a 2006 Asian Excellence Award, in the category of Outstanding Female Television Performance, for her work in ER.”[link]
  • Sunny Leone – 23 ‘actress.’ “…is the first performer of Indian descent (her parents were born in the Indian state of Punjab) to become a Vivid Girl.” NSFW [link]
  • Rasika Mathur – 26, comedian. A brown lady that is shaking her butt on MTV in a not typical MTV-type way – on Nick Cannon’s improv show Wild ‘N Out. [link]
  • Mohini Bhardwaj – 27, gymnast.Won a Silver Medal for the U.S. gymnastics team in the 2004, and was India Abroad’s Person of the Year in 2005. [link]
  • Aliya Deri – 13, Spelling Bee Competitor. She came in second at Scripps’ 2005 National Spelling Bee. “Aliya plays violin, viola, and piano and is a member of two orchestras. Her other pastimes include Indian dance and Tai Chi.” [link]

All these women to me represent ‘Desi Women Firsts’ in so many ways. There are so many more women under the age of 30 that have done amazing things in their respective fields that I know I am leaving out (unintentionally), and many more I had thought of that were just beyond the ‘under 30’ bracket. These are just a handful of the women I’ve come across that are cool, young, and desi.Who would you list?

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About Taz

Taz is an activist, organizer and writer based in California. She is the founder of South Asian American Voting Youth (SAAVY), curates MutinousMindState.tumblr.com and blogs at TazzyStar.blogspot.com. Follow her at twitter.com/tazzystar

177 thoughts on “Girls, Girls, Girls”

  2. Kitty Porn

    The smut that dare not take its name :-))

    Everyone likes a good rebel

  3. Are you employees of Microsoft, working at Fargo?

    “What the Christ!?” -William H. Macy, in Fargo

  5. Not that I loved (or even liked) ‘Chutney Popcorn’, but the director is a 29 year old (maybe now 30) named Nisha Ganatra. Apparently 1% of the Directors Guild of America membership is female, so you can imagine how few of them are desi.

    I second Cicatrix’s Jhumpa Lahiri nomination and JoAT’s list. If we upped that bar to 40, this list would be out of control (in the best of ways).

  6. Prasad, R.e. #10 “Likewise, you dont tell your 14 yr old kid that it is OK to be gay; if and when the shit hits the fan, we just need to be prepared to grab the umbrella”.

    Actually, that seems to be exactly the age at which a person would benefit from knowing that their inclinations towards the same sex are okay. In fact, I’d say the earlier the better.

    In the line before that you mentioned that you wouldn’t show a 12 year old porn in an approving fashion and then went on to make the above statement. So are you equating an endorsement of porn with support for a gay adolescent?!

    If so, amigo, I’m just stepping up to say that ain’t cool.

    If and when you have a daughter, if and when you follow through on that promise to instill confidence and independence in her, kindly keep in mind that these attributes tend to arise out of feeling loved and respected for who you are.

    I don’t mean to be harsh, but I also assume that you didn’t mean to be ignorant…

  7. Pattie:

    I’ve asked before and I’ll ask again. What’re you smoking and where can I get some?

    Kitty porn… Yeah, you definitely win the 2006 WTF Award.

  8. I might nominate Navi Rawat, age 25 — she might not be as luminous as Parminder for her acting chops (oh who am I kidding, Navi’s acting is downright awful), but at least she’s still heading in the right direction. And on shows like The OC, her acting is still pretty groundbreaking when you consider the “work” of Mischa Barton. She also had a bit part in “House of Sand & Fog”

    There’s also Ayesha Dharker (from the stage productions of “Bombay Dreams” and I believe “Mistress of Spices”) — she’s 29.

    I’d even reach to add Tina Sugandh — isn’t she under 30?

    I’m hoping that eventually a list like this won’t be so difficult.

  9. Fascinating that none of us have named any desi doctor girls, engineers, techies, etc. – I know that there are brown gals out there rocking the more ‘traditional’ desi professions (traditional as defined by desi Amrikan standards) but I think it noteworthy that we’ve chosen gals whose pursuits made some of them (and their parents) pariahs on the auntie / uncle circuit (a.k.a. the Auntienet).

    ‘Balle balle’ to these bellwethers!

  10. Amrita – Would you be proud if your daughter grew up to be a condoleeza rice ?

    What a sententious question!

  11. Personally, I dont see Sunny any different than Nandita Das (or any other actress who’d shed clothes in front camera or off camera for that matter) – since we are all aware of certain thing called casting couch.

    Prasad, that is a ridiculous comparison to say an actress like Nandita Das is the equivalent to of a porn star.

  12. Two more nominations:

    Monita Rajpal and Zain Verjee of CNN.

    (Although Zain is 31).

    With regards to Sunny Leone’s religious background, a quick Google search does produce some results where she is quoted as being a Sikh, although I’m not sure how accurate this is. However, she is definitely Punjabi.

  13. *With regards to Sunny Leone’s religious background

    …..Although I don’t think that has any bearing on (or relevance to) her career choice.

  17. i would have to agree with miss jane of all trades…

    sonal shah is an amazing woman (founder of indicorp and a family friend)…

    another gal that have i’ve kept tabs on since high school as an ‘academic mentor’ per se include reshma jagsi.. she rocks as a traditional doc who will do more than just treat cancer…

  18. w.r.t. Sunny’s religion [NSFW]:

    Luke: “How do you relate to your Sikh heritage? Do you study it? Selectively observe it?” Sunny: “It’s not a part of my everyday life. There are things that are questionable, just like any religion. It’s a part of me but it’s not. I believe in G-d but it’s hard to incorporate all the rules and regulations and beliefs into your day when you’re mixing with porn. You can’t really do both.”

    It’s not clear that she sees herself as Sikh, she makes it clear that she’s chosen her work over any religion.

  19. There is a Pakistani girl from the UK doing hardcore porn in LA and some Hindu girls doing porn too – Angela Devi, Priya Rao, some other ones too. Desi porn is booming.

  20. Oh yeah, there is a Bangladeshi Muslim girl called Jasmyne doing hardcore in LA at the moment too – do a search Razib, check her genes

  21. Aruni,

    Ain’t no thang – I figured I wasn’t the only one irked by that comparison.

    K

  23. Pattie:

    I’ve asked before and I’ll ask again. What’re you smoking and where can I get some?

    Kitty porn… Yeah, you definitely win the 2006 WTF Award.

    and i will repeat….go ask ennis….i wah my face in his dhari. 😉

  24. Pattie:

    would you be so offended with mainstream movies that depict graphic sex?

    A lot of people watch and enjoy porn…so what!!! that doesn’t make them sick or disgusting or lame….

    come on people …. let’s get a grip here and get over our “moral” selves

  26. Runyolarun,

    Would you mind emailing me? I couldn’t find a contact link on your blog. I met Leah briefly once and have a few questions. Sorry for going off-topic (again) everyone.

  27. Cica – I don’t think you can go off topic in this thread, or at least more off topic than it has gone thus far …

  28. runyolarun,

    are you moving to the city of the weakerthans???? i noticed that song on your blog……

  29. kavita: –

    We just have to realize that each person acts within their own sensibilities. I am glad that you told me that what said a’int cool and I respect that. Normally, I would practise silence when I gets sermonized, but this one time I want to ask people not to make extrapolatory statements like ‘you endorse porn’, or ‘you must be OK with your daughter being in porn’ and since within the same context I made a comparision with gay issue, ‘you must be NOT OK with girl being gay’ etc.

    Just because we dont approve a pornstar being a role model, doesnt mean that they dont exist. It (desi porn) is a growing phenomenon and wishing away doesnt erase the industry altogether either – this is exactly how Indian society treats the issue of prostitution and countless women suffer because of that. 20 years down the line, if and when 20% of porn actresses in North America would comprise of desi origin, then there will be a Chatsworth research group who would say that Sunny was the one who spearheaded the trend. To give another (irksome, inane twist?) to this argument, one of my coworker’s dad (who was a baptist minister) didnt want none of his sons to be either a lawyer or an insurance agent, because according to him, they are possessed by devil. Its anyone’s guess as to what most desi kids opt to become these days.

    Now talking about gay issues – its none of my business to approve or disapprove of, and yes, I will NOT tell my kids that it is OK to be gay; I am not wishing it away, but if I see any ‘tendencies’, then I will bring it up. There are certain issues that you address proactively – ‘sex, drugs, etc’, while certain issues you address organically – ‘career, sexual orientation, etc’. Hope that clears many things.

    And oh, finally – Nandita das is a good film actress and Sunny is a sucessful porn actress. I know thats where the comparision ends – they chose different lifestyles. I dont judge their choices based on my moral upbringing or artistic preferences. Thanks.

  30. I’m glad to see Sunny Leone doing well. As Canadian punjabi male from a liberal sikh family it’s good to see a punjabi girl being able to do what she wants.

  34. Dini V. Rao, 28, wine consultant for Christie’s, also my cousin

    A whole lot of respect for Sumi Das, even if she is 34 and doesn’t fall neatly into this category.

  35. Now talking about gay issues – its none of my business to approve or disapprove of…

    Now talking about slavery – its none of my business to approve or disapprove of…

  36. I Sunny Leone can be a sikh and still have her chosen profession since we all have the five thieves to worry about, not just her

  37. Pattie:

    would you be so offended with mainstream movies that depict graphic sex?

    A lot of people watch and enjoy porn…so what!!! that doesn’t make them sick or disgusting or lame….

    come on people …. let’s get a grip here and get over our “moral” selves

    pattie says ‘yes’….i really don’t need to see that shit. i will not delve further into the latter half of that comment. i will just go to say no wonder soeciety is as screwed up as it is.

  39. word up pattie

    😉

    besides….i really don’t need sex shoved in my face everywhere i go – damn movies, most of them are sex, go to the store, scantily clad tart kutis, you wait at a bustop…you see friggin’ ads with half naked tarts on them, everywhere you go, sex is adevertised. and yes, sex has it’s place, but not as we in society see it, some values are virtues are necessary. i’m not saying we all have to be complete prudes, but today’s society make anyone with half a brain wnat to throw up. and i’m all for women’s rights, but this scantily clad stuff is just outright disgusting. i don’t need half naked girls practically poked in my face everywhere i go. i don’t see half as many ads with men and such on it. and not only is society’s obsession with sex sick, it’s boring. even my famed love for certain fuzzy wonderful creatures is not for just the obvious allure. fun, outgoing people who aren’t out to sell their bodies to you, people who show they’re cool because they’re smart, inventive, just brimming with creative ideas. it’s just logic. sheesh. every damn movie, every damn show has to have some dumb*sses screwing, and it makes me say ‘same crap, maybe with a different dumb pop song.’ hell, i love some pretty raunchy brit stuff. it amazes me how many who complain about my admirations of sardars are often those who have a fit over not defending porn.

  40. A whole lot of respect for Sumi Das, even if she is 34 and doesn’t fall neatly into this category.

    if we can have porn stars get credit here, sumi should shurely have her due. we won’t tell anyone she’s over 30. 3 cheers for her!

  41. i will just go to say no wonder soeciety is as screwed up as it is

    yes, its all due to porn, not greed, or selfishness, or avarice, or evil, or greed, or …

    if someone makes a living off of their asset, be it their body, their brawn, or their brains, then i guess its not for you to judge them. if later in life they regret it, well, its still not for you to judge. and then if it happens that millions of people on the interweb are actually spurring on the ePornCommerce, well, thats for thems to pay for and others to earn… nto all of us hve PhD’s or work on wall street or madison ave…

    i know someone who regrets 35 years in gov service, and another being a chemical engineer, and another being a housewife… people have regrest for doing a lot of things, why should porn be any different.

    i dont think its a question of prudishness, more of wanting to have the world in ones own image…

    as for sLeon, good for her. it would make sense if deshis are increasing their visibility in politics, business, acting (i am in the middle of watching Harry and Koomar Goto White Castle, i swear Kal Penn looks exactly like a brown version of the guy from scrubs), that they do so in all other facets of american/european life as well…

    i am waiting on a sAsian comedian to have their own spot on comedy central, maybe russell peters (ali g does not count)…

  42. Pattie,

    A humble request:

    Please use [blockquote] … [/blockquote] instead of bolding the text you wish to quote. It’s extremely harsh on the eye.

    Thank you.

  44. I have no idea who’s responding to what, everyone’s dry-humping the porn-topic to death and so I’m not certain if someone has already said this… But I think all the other women in the pageant who voted Kashish Chopra Miss Congeniality deserve some credit for awarding her the title and choosing to make a collective statement of support (the award is given by fellow contestants, not judges)… Okay, you can go back to the porn.

  45. But I think all the other women in the pageant who voted Kashish Chopra Miss Congeniality deserve some credit for awarding her the title and choosing to make a collective statement of support (the award is given by fellow contestants, not judges)…

    thanks for the break, and i agree, dogday!

  46. comedienne- vijai nathan although i don’t know if she’s under 30. good job taz on compiling this.

  47. I swear Kal Penn looks exactly like a brown version of the guy from scrubs

    OMG! It’s true.

  48. Razib, Well, I’m either delusional and have implanted memories into my own brain, or those people were in brown-face (make that full-body brown makeup). I’ve seen both porn involving brown girls and white men and porn where everyone concerned was brown. Perhaps you need to better your porn-searching skillz? Sadly, I wasn’t the one downloading or burning them… otherwise, I’d ask for your email address and send you some, if only in the interest of dispassionate academic settling-of-this-issue 🙂

  49. 99 Brownfrown,

    I think Razeeb is being tongue in cheek (Although I can not be sure)

    I am not American so I do not fully understand American society. But I would put it this way,Sex should be better left in bedrooms (i.e in private space) Somehow, I don’t think that so much obsession with sex (of graphic nature) in public space is a good idea. I may be wrong though

    Regards

  50. Found one more tonite! On Fox 5 News they did a story on exploited restaurant workers in NYC and the spokeswoman was Saru Jayaramn Executive Director of ROCny (Restaurant Opportunities Center of NY)