Thanks to Alex Carnevale at Gawker, I saw this today. Heidi Klum as Kali for her Halloween party.
What think you, desis? My initial thought was that I should be offended. Then I thought, why? Is that reasonable? People dress up as versions of evil a range of characters, including ones with religious connotations, every year on Halloween. And this Kali is a pretty awesome costume. Klum certainly pulls it off with panache. Maybe that’s easier if you’re twelve feet tall and a model. She’s got all the details–look at what’s around her neck and waist!
If you click on the picture, you’ll see a gallery that includes her husband, Seal. (Gallery from ohnotheydidn’t.)
UPDATED: Previous Sepia coverage of Halloween.
that is a pretty awesome costume, if you ask me!
… but not as cute as this bodhi tinkerbell.
versions of evil ???
Oh, I don’t mean to imply people ONLY dress up as versions of evil. But yeah, some people do: demons, devils, etc. etc.
Should add that I’m aware that “evil” for Kali is not quite complicated enough. But she is associated with death and destruction.
Versions of “darkness” sounded a little B-movie, though.
Now you know why Neelkanth was head over heals.
don’t think kali is evil, she’s more to do with change and transformation
That’s an awesome costume! I’m not at all offended–it’s just as much about the person wearing the costume as it is about the costume itself, in my mind. Heidi Klum seems like a relatively well-informed and -intentioned person. It’s certainly way more classy and interesting than the tramp-y costumes that are so popular.
death and destruction OF evil, VV. Consuming it, therefore terrible. sorry, a little touchy about this.
this is ridiculously cool!!!!
the blue Kali in Eastern Indian tradition has her puja in the smashan ghat. The Kali who is puja’d at home is black. The black Kali Puja is done and over with before the blue Kali puja. And for the home puja -at least for Bengalis- mamsa and mathya i.e., meat – mutton only – and spirits are a must. After the black Kali Puja there are fireworks – it coincides with Dipavali – and then one goes over to the smashan ghat for the black Kali puja at about 1-2 AM, inebriation is OK. The smashan ghat Kali puja is a more restrained affair, and is performed with great solemnity, and breaks at about 5-6 AM, by which time the finest kichuree in the world is ready for the bhog, and that with some kheer is finished before one returns home tired and samporrna.
Kali as with Durga and all female devis of India are doe eyed, with bow-like brows, chubby cheeked and almost buxom. Some like Sarasvati are fair, Lakshmi is fawn, Kali and Durga are dark, and Minakshi is brown – though she is shown to be green. Heidi you need to beef up and don’t scowl, smile!!
That is a seriously kick-ass costume.
It’s only offensive if it’s worn with a sense of “Look how silly those Hindus are.” As long as she is respectful in her representation it is fine. And I don’t think anybody well read enough to pay that sort of intricate detail to the costume would be ignorant enough to disrespect it.
As for Kali being evil, I don’t think Hinduism generally draws hard and fast lines between “good” deeds and “evil” ones. Hindu ethics have always struck me as being much more based around the intentions behind your actions and the results of those actions rather than a focus on the action itself. Kali, in my mind, represents the sort of primal destructive impulse that you’d find when you get between a mother bear and her cub.
This is the first I have heard of Kali being evil. She is associated with death and such but death is an essential a part of Hindu philosophy where creation cannot be without destruction and vice versa. For eg, a new moment wont begin until the old one ends and so on and thus destruction is as much a part of the fabric of the universe as creation is. Then there are also the stories of Kali destroying evil doers…..
i don’t care for the fangs.
Hm, okay. All y’all above, thanks for the comments. kd, you don’t have to apologize—I’m interested in knowing. So… I appreciate the feedback.
Evil is clearly not the right word, so I’ve stricken it above. My intention wasn’t to prompt a religious discussion, but rather a discussion of the costume, so I’ve changed it to a more generic phrase that gets to my larger point. (Although I know that many an interesting Sepia thread has grown from stuff like this, too!)
If “evil” isn’t the right word, I wonder what might have been. One incarnation of Kali is the patron saint of thieves; neither are her more general associations and stories of violence, vengeance, blood-drinking and destruction happy things. There are stories of her getting carried away by her own anger, and she is also frequently described as ferocious and inspiring fear. But kd is right, she is generally inspiring fear in those who have done wrong, and is directing her wrath at those who deserve it, so “evil” definitely doesn’t cut it. (I agree NaraVara is also right that Hinduism isn’t binary in its understanding of good and evil.)
Perhaps I should have said versions of violence, or representations of violence (which are very popular at Halloween). Would that have been accurate? Or perhaps I’m better off with what is above.
Also, kd, what DID you think of the costume? Others?
Looks like a caricature to me…especially the fangs..
if someone had dressed up as Muhammad…would it have been as “cool” ?
two thumbs down.
15 · V.V. Ganeshananthan said
VVG there are innumerable Kalis and none of them is canonical. None of them is true or false, good or evil.
17 · Anil said
Muslims have pretty strict rules about depictions of their religious figures that we don’t. Personally I don’t think a Muhammad costume would have been all that offensive, but then again, I am not Muslim.
jyotsana, that’s a rather selective quote. Right after I said that, I said (in the same paragraph, next sentence),
“But kd is right, she is generally inspiring fear in those who have done wrong, and is directing her wrath at those who deserve it, so “evil” definitely doesn’t cut it. (I agree [sic] NaraVara is also right that Hinduism isn’t binary in its understanding of good and evil.)”
So… “VVG there are innumerable Kalis and none of them is canonical. None of them is true or false, good or evil.” Yes, I already agreed with that.
Not sure if you meant it that way, but the ‘should’ made it sounded like you are somehow duty-bound to be offended.
I think I was more referring to the evolution of my own reactions to representations of Eastern cultures (including desi ones) in Western popular culture. Once upon a time I probably would have been offended. Now, not so much. Like I said, I think the costume’s pretty cool. V.V.G. = not offended 🙂
6 · Demi Moore said
Oops meant heels. No not offended at all. Indeed cool and stylish !
The designer is quite creative (or quite prone to perfection of an existing idea) and the shoes are kinda unique. when it comes to sensibilities – no matter what the issue – there will be people offended. Not everybody sees reason, some effigy burners in the coming days may not really care what Halloween is about, and still burn effigies, especially for the second pic in the gallery. Klum didn’t wear Kali costume to enact a kissing scene for sure but, does she care about the way she has to carry herself in a Kali costume? Not too sure.
hm. i’m not really into it being a halloween costume– i’m a pretty devout hindu and a pretty tolerant person, but i just don’t think our gods should be “costumes” — not that it is barred in our religion in any way. to be truthful, i’m just not down with it. i just think she had a myriad of choices and went for the old Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 1-2 punch. yawn. get creative heidi– you should have made one of your project runway contestants design you something.
There’s no reason to be offended at all- it’s just an awesome costume. How much do you want to bet some crazy group in India is going to protest this and file a court case?
I’m loving the costume!! being a devout hindu, there’s a lighter side in everything. people tend to be ‘Jesus’ or ‘Noah’ for halloween too, and this just pokes fun at being ourselves with our pantheon of gods (note: little ‘g’ in gods). besides hindu gods represent a supreme being that we lay people call GOD(YHWH, or Allah) for our inability to understand how great this ‘being’ is. So technically the other gods are ‘costumes’ of the supreme being. I’m not saying being a hindu is to observe halloween in gods..not at all. but the idea of our ‘gods’ is to represent a certain aspect via anthropomorphic qualities.
I wish Seal was Shiva or something…that’ve been perfect. The union of Death and Destruction would’ve been a perfect and morbid halloween look.
For many, when Kali and Shiva unite, it’s said that the perfect balance is created for the world. It’s a very taoist type of thinking. Also, this unification of man and woman is obviously seen in the lingam, though many people really hate to say the lingam is a phallic symbol. ok i really deterred from the subject. anyways, props for heidi for depicting the mythological Kali to the T.
Klum gets brownie points for creativity. I think Kali could appeal to the goths. But the satanic crowd might want to stay away from Kali worship because Kali is supposed to vanquish evil and injustice. Kali is just the really angry form of Uma or Parvathi Devi, from what I understand. As a Hindu (who obviously isn’t too religious or dogmatic), I am not offended by this image in this post.
I’m not offended. I think Heidi probably understands what Kali is and what she stands for and that there are many aspects to Kali . The only problem is that people who see this might think that it’s okay to mock hinduism, but that isn’t really reason to criticize Heidi for wearing something creative.
23 · black goddess said
Check out Mel Gibson on his Apocalypto – and read what he has to say on the allegorical thread within.
VVG, I think it isn’t canonical, you think it isn’t. We think it is not canonical!! Great I stand corrected.
“If you need to try to be offended at something then by definition that thing is not offensive. The world would be better off if people in general stopped trying so hard to be offended about things.”
But–but–if I didn’t cultivate a highly sensitized notion of being “offended” I might-gasp–sometimes vote for my interests–gasp!-can’t have that–must. . . subordinate. . . “self” . . . to . . . (false) construction of “community interest.” Naan yarendru yennakku theriyum.
It would have been even more awesome if she had dressed up like Chhinnamasta
Being offended is a natural emotional reaction. If you need to try to be offended at something then by definition that thing is not offensive. The world would be better off if people in general stopped trying so hard to be offended about things.
Sepia writers are becoming increasingly less interesting, and increasingly more interested in “edgy”/ “comidic” ways to report what is happening. Posting a picture like this and then talking about “pulling it off” as an obvious attempt at a lame joke reinforces the direction of the writing lately on sepia. While poeple have flocked to sepia because of the desi take on the elections, posts like this continue to depress the readers out there that are looking for something substanial.
I’ve seen people dressed up as Kali in India too. The major difference, that I can see, is that the Indian dresser-ups would paint their tongues blood red and stick them out. And, the jewelry was less intense and the heads less realistic.
Heidi Klum’s husband Seal looks a lot like the stereotypical Indian Maharaja with that huge fake mustache. I think he looks a lot like Tipu Sultan. What do you all think?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/images/gal_tipu_sultan.jpg
She obviously researched Kali intensely, so in that sense it wasn’t done in a superficial, and therefore disrespectful manner. If anything it will get people curious as to who this goddess is, and then research it themselves. Besides, while Hindus are notoriosuly clannish, Indians in general adopt and cross reference religions all the time, whether in practice or in theory, so whiteys should be allowed to dabble without being labled “offensive”.
“besides hindu gods represent a supreme being that we lay people call GOD(YHWH, or Allah) for our inability to understand how great this ‘being’ is. So technically the other gods are ‘costumes’ of the supreme being. I’m not saying being a hindu is to observe halloween in gods..not at all. but the idea of our ‘gods’ is to represent a certain aspect via anthropomorphic qualities”
I am left aghast and breathless at the arrogance and religious chauvinism of some of the posters on this board who think their religion is superior and will defend primitive practices. Sounds like RSS mindset to me.
“What about all the human sacrifices usually of children to Kali in pre-colonial times? Wasn’t that evil?”
A worthy question. But don’t expect the posters to answer. Most posters here are upper caste and have stakes in the machinery of persecution that is the brahminical indian state.
“How much do you want to bet some crazy group in India is going to protest this and file a court case?”
Wow wanna bet. The Shiv Sena will murder another million minorities over this.
Iam extremely offended. It would have been okay if she had represented Kaali in gracefully and in a positive way but what she did was very offencive and typical western christian mentality, which presents Kaali as something evil and Hindus as devil worshippers.Those Hindus who are saying they are not offended please check this picture “http://www.celebrity-gossip.net/celebrity_gallery/image_full/114089/” and decide what respect and understanding she has shown for our Goddess Kaali.
19 · NaraVara said
Since when? These are representation of Mohammed by Muslims in history — 1, 2 and 3.
Some crazies think that you can’t depict Mohammed but then many Muslims think you can. Mohammed never said anything about his being depicted. He just forbade idolatory and ironically the muslims who protest against his depiction are themselves guilty of making an idol of him.
17 · Anil said
Ya think? Heidi would have have got something like this.
23 · black goddess said
People did (and still do) a lot of evil things before the enlightenment e.g. The Crusades and Jihad
Did Kali ever explicitly demand child sacrifice?
41 · kayastha_lady said
So what is the minimum number of minorities murdered by the Shiv Sena over this issue and over what time period?
The costume is pretty cool though. She looks hot!! Hopefully the nuts in India will not go overboard.
The question would be what would her reaction be if say one of the party attendees had come as a Nazi Kamp Kommandant? An Islamic Suicide Bomber? An aborted foetus? Inquiring minds want to know.
Staying on the topic of offensive things how would Heidi Klum say if someone to her party came dressed as Obama with a noose around his neck? After all She will leave the US if McCain wins.
Aryan, I think you show character. It may be a gorgeous costume (and of course Hallowe’en is not for depicting anything in a positive light unless you’re six years old), but Kali is the alter ego of Durga, and is as Shiv is to Nataraj, so dressing up as Kali and baring fake fangs to go clubbin’ is a bit much. Plus, it betrays a thin grasp of the cosmology involved. Point is, Kali is the goddess of purposeful and necessary Destruction, not Evil, so Mother Kali is evil only in the same sense that Heidi Klum is evil on that crazy show of hers. Also I suspect, jyotsana, that Heidi Klum never got as far as to distinguish between blue Kali and black Kali, but is simply assuming that Krishna blue is an all-purpose complexion of the Desi Divine….and all this time, I believed what I was told and thought that Kali sticks her tongue out in the Bengali grimace of shame for accidentally trampling her husband, she’s that proper.
It is true of women, and some would say particularly true of Bengali women, that we tend to pursue a scorched earth policy when roused to full rage. I remember an exhibition at the Met a few years ago, with some fine miniatures depicting Kali amid landscapes devastated by war, but can’t remember what school of painting produced them.
black goddess, if I may say, christian were burnt at the stake in the name of Jesus in pre-colonial times as well— something to do with the halting, one step forward, two steps back type progress of humanism everywhere, rather than cruelties being particular to any culture.
I think the costume is dope! Wish I had the money to put something like that together. Also see my previous Halloween post for similar costumes and “offensive candy”: http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/003909.html http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/004830.html
Thanks, Abhi–will put linked posts above…
Hinduism is a tolerant religion. Sometimes so tolerant that if a fellow Hindu raises objection towards such mocking of Hindu Gods, he/she is labeled a chauvinist and extremist. Maybe to the elite bloggers pictures of a kissing Kali aren’t disturbing but I m sure they are to some Hindus. Everyone is entitled to live their sick fantasies as long as the rest of the world isn’t forced to witness it.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,445904,00.html
Yes. Those of us who live in America have such a stake in a Brahmanical Indian state.
In fact, I do sometimes wonder if I could get a show of hands, how many American Raised Indians even know what caste they are? I certainly don’t. All I know is that my parents came from a mixed caste marriage. But I suppose some will spare no opportunity to cast all Indians with any shred of pride for their culture as being “backward” or whatever. Frankly it is a bit tiresome.
As for the human sacrifice thing, infanticide is nothing new to poor, agrarian societies. They didn’t really have the medical knowhow to perform an proper abortion or anything. Being as how women did not have much in the way of rights and the idea of marital rape scarcely existed (Chanakya, in the Arthashastra, takes some tentative steps towards defining the concept but it’s not exactly a law you could easily enforce back then) they didn’t have much control over planning out the size of their family. When you’re poor enough you will eventually have to face a decision where either one baby dies or all your babies die from not having enough food to go around. It’s not a decision anyone should ever have to make, but you can see how someone might want to be able to create a ritualized process for doing such a thing. It would help with the emotional trauma that a mother would surely face when having to do this to her own child.
Come on, it’s just a costume. In India parents have been dressing up their kids as small Krishnas for ages, taking pictures and framing them in for the whole family to adore, and tell the baby’s mother how little Ashwini is soooo similar to the little “makhan thief”. And that’s ok? It’s just an spontaneous and immature reaction when you get offended by some hollywolly glam model dressing up as Kali. Instead you should ask yourself when did you last pray to that Godess. Lemme see…uhm, never?
22 · V.V. Ganeshananthan said
the evolution from white to brown
50 · kayastha_lady said
The Arthashastra is the ultimate work on political realism, and Chanakya is the most profound political philosopher of all time. The rest is familiar coming from Prema=kayastha_lady=loose cannon firing blanks; noisy but empty=bakwas!
34 · rob said
here are some random intellectual thoughts – – Does Densensitization=not offended=Liberation ? – provocative symbolism + artistic creativity = evoking public reaction ?