Tina & Samip --

 What an interesting way to flesh out conceptions of beauty. Sharing the perspective of beauticians and beauty pageant winners certainly provides an in-depth and often overlooked perspective. The show did a great job of surfacing norms of beauty that exist within the Desi community, both informally and formally as within the pageant. I was hoping there would be a critical reflection segment to the show, that would raise some questions. Yes, beauty is skin deep and is limited without a radiant inner character however it would have been interesting to explore how these ideals for external beauty shape social interaction, as in what is their social function.

For example, the Miss India pageant winner in Michigan mentioned that 'Indian values' are a major focus of the selection and presentation process. There's a long history of nationalist rhetoric/ movements in which women serve as cultural vessels, as preserving the 'values' of the nation through their attire and performance. So, I was hoping the show would discuss more how beautified 'images' of women serve as cultural representations and mediate social norms within the Desi community. So, if there were pageants for Mr. India, would these emphasize non-marital status, dancing ability, feminized selflessness etc. How do beauty norms mediate gender roles within the Desi community and also structure 'Indianness' as a whole. Definitely a great show for generating further discussion.