| Like everyone else working their way through Netflix’s original content this summer, I recently binge-watched the new docu-series Indian Matchmaking. To say that the series—which follows Mumbai-based matchmaker “Sima Aunty” (AKA Sima Taparia) as she arranges marriages for couples in the US and India over the course of 2019—was a hit is an understatement. After its timely release (since it’s as close as we’re getting to attending a wedding this summer) everyone online has been talking about it. But while I was celebrating what I found to be a super authentic look into the world of matchmaking, arranged marriages and Indian family dynamics, many reviewers and tweeters made me realize that I may be the only South Asian woman who was. Because it seems like Indian Matchmaking is the latest in “Things The Internet Loves to Hate.” The most common criticism of the show? That Taparia’s matchmaking approach, as well as her client’s requests, are often rooted in casteism, colourism and sexism—problematic issues that the show fails to interrogate. While these criticisms are valid and painfully obvious, in the context of a reality TV show, they’re also pretty unfair. Here’s why. |
